West Bengal is not just in news for the fierce political battle unraveling in the state, but also for the worsening Covid-19 situation, with one out of two persons undergoing RT-PCR tests turning out positive in Kolkata and its suburbs.
The rest of the state is no better with one in four people getting tested turning out to be Covid-positive. This is a five-fold jump from the start of April, according to The Times of India.
"Laboratories in Kolkata and surrounding areas are reporting a positivity rate of 45-55 per cent, while in other parts of the state, the positivity is around 24 per cent, up from 5 per cent at the beginning of this month," a doctor has been quoted as saying by TOI.
Experts in the state believe the actual number is bound to be much higher in form of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients who are not getting tested. "We must not be deterred from testing more as this is one of the major tools to contain this wave," another doctor is quoted as saying by the publication.
Major pathology labs in the city have seen a big surge in positive samples in April. "Even during the post-Durga Puja surge last year, we would find about 30 per cent samples positive. This time, it has crossed previous year's record," Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhuri of Peerless Hospital told TOI.
West Bengal on Monday registered 68 deaths due to Covid-19, the highest so far in a single day, pushing the toll to 11,009. The state also reported record 15,992 fresh infections, which took the tally to 7,59,942.
Kolkata alone accounted for 26 deaths, followed by North-24 Parganas at 11, South-24 Parganas at seven, Hooghly at five and Malda at four.
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