New Covid cases fewer than cures in one day Bengal now has witnessed nearly 1.42 lakh infections since the onset of the pandemic, of which 1.11 lakh are recoveries and 2,851 are deaths

Meghdeep Bhattacharya | TT | 25.08.20 | Calcutta : Bengal on Monday logged the highest number of recoveries in 24 hours, with 3,285, considerably higher than the new cases found in the same period, at 2,967, although chief minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the administration in the four districts adjoining the city to lower incidence rates.

Prior to this, the most recoveries reported in a day was on August 10, at 3,208.

Bengal now has witnessed nearly 1.42 lakh infections since the onset of the pandemic, of which 1.11 lakh are recoveries and 2,851 are deaths. Monday’s toll was 57, with 13 deaths from Calcutta and 12 from North 24-Parganas.

The chief minister also pointed out the relatively high positive confirmation rates in the highly populous North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly.

Though Bengal’s average positive confirmation rate is 8.88 per cent now, North 24-Parganas and Howrah show much higher numbers of infection.

With 700 new cases on Monday, North 24-Parganas now has 5,879 active Covid-19 cases. South 24-Parganas reported 158 new cases, with 1,721 total active cases. Howrah, with 104 new cases in the day, now has 1,528 active cases, and Hooghly, with 108 new cases, has 1,493 active cases.

As she has been doing in the past, the chief minister stressed the need for the three Ts of testing, tracing and tracking, and social-distancing norms, as well as standard Covid-19 protocols.

Sources said Mamata did not bring up Calcutta figures, because there have been clear signs of a turnaround in the city since August 9.

The total number of active cases here fell from 7,041 to 5,691 on Monday. Calcutta reported 465 new cases, but 651 recoveries lowered the total number of active cases by 199. “She wants Calcutta’s neighbours to learn from its example and rein in the outbreak,” said a minister.

“Recovery rates have also been high, which is good,” the chief minister said.

Bengal’s overall recovery rate at present is at an all-time high of 78.46 per cent.

Of the total 2,851 deaths in Bengal from the pandemic, 1,187 are from Calcutta and 659 from North 24-Parganas. The state government reported 2,483 deaths or 87.1 per cent as comorbid.

Comorbidities are most often related to hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Bengal’s mortality rate now is 2.01, while India’s stands at 1.84 per cent. Calcutta’s is 3.23 per cent. Mamata also stressed the need to lower mortality rates in North 24-Parganas, now at 2.19, and Howrah, at 2.71.

With 35,267 tests during the day, the total number of tests in the state rose to nearly 15.97 lakh, at 17,740 tests per million.

Bengal also reported 35.57 per cent occupancy in 12,035 beds earmarked for Covid-19 in 87 dedicated hospitals. Telemedicine consultation has been given to nearly 1.19 lakh people, including 4,612 people in the past 24 hours.