2 Covid patients die in Siliguri; Asok concerned about spike

135 new cases in Darjeeling district, Forty new cases were also found in the Jalpaiguri portion of the SMC

SNS, SILIGURI. 2 NOVEMBER 2020: Two persons died in the designated hospital for Covid-19 patients at Matigara in Siliguri in the past 24 hours, sources said.

A 75-year-old resident of Pradhannagar in Siliguri died there last evening, while a 92-year-old person from Sonada in Darjeeling died today.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the board of administrators of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), Asok Bhattacharya, has expressed concerns about the rise in cases of Covid-19 in the civic body area and in the Matigara block.

A totaI of 260 persons have contracted the novel coronavirus in SMC areas in between 29 October and 1 November, while 67 persons under the Matigara block have been infected during the same period.

According to Mr Bhattacharya, some coordinators of the SMC had also been tested positive for Covid-19 and that two patients had died in the past two days.

"A person (of the Matigara block) who had recovered from the disease later died. Some family members of the coordinators have also been found to be positive for the virus," Mr Bhattacharya said.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today, Mr Bhattacharya has requested her to intervene and has pointed out the "lack of doctors, health workers, and oxygen" in hospitals.

135 new cases in Darjeeling district

Darjeeling district, meanwhile, recorded 135 new cases of Covid-19 today, sources said.

The fresh cases are 52 in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, four in Darjeeling Municipality, six in Kharibari, five in Sukna, two in Kurseong Municipality, 29 in Matigara, five in Mirik, I8 in Naxalbari, 10 in Phansidewa, three in Pulbazaar /Bijanbari and one in Takdah.

Forty new cases were also found in the Jalpaiguri portion of the SMC.

Also today 70 Covid patients either ended their home isolation or were discharged from Covid hospitals, the sources added.

34 in Malda

Malda witnessed a dip in cases of the virus, with only 34 samples testing positive among the 394 tested at the VRDL in the Malda Medical College and Hospital last night. The daily infections neared the 100 mark in a past few days in the district. Among the fresh samples tested positive were nine from areas under the English bazaar Municipality, while the remaining were scattered across different blocks, sources said.

28 in South Dinajpur

South Dinajpur district reported 28 new Covid patients in the past 24 hours. A total of 1428 samples were collected during that period, while the total number of tests conducted in the district has gone up to 135410 so far, sources said. On the other hand, 60 Covid patients have been discharged from the hospital in the past 24 hours. Among the fresh cases were 10 in the Balurghat Municipality area.