A total of 947 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 9,880. (Representational Photo)
With 38 new COVID-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours, the total number of active cases on Saturday reached 423, according to a state government bulletin.
As many as 105 positive patients have so far recovered and discharged from hospital, while the death toll stands at 18 as no new fatality was reported on Saturday. On Friday, the state government had linked the death of 57 coronavirus positive patients to the virus, of whom, 39 had co-morbidities.
A total of 947 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 9,880.
“The number of tests has increased in last few days. About 38 new cases were reported in last 24 hours. One more hospital — Suraksha Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd. — has been authorised by the IMCR as another testing lab in the state. The total number of testing labs in West Bengal now stands at 13,” said a government official.
As many as 207 people are in hospital isolation.
There are 66 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals here.
On Friday, the state government had said that COVID-related deaths in the state numbered 57, of which 18 could be primarily attributed to coronavirus.
“Many questions are being raised on the audit committee set up by the state, and the death numbers. The committee submitted its report today, in which they said 57 people who died had tested positive for COVID-19. Of them, 18 persons died primarily because of coronavirus. The remaining patients had co-morbidities, but were COVID-positive, ” state Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha had said.
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Biswaranjan Satpati, head of the audit committee and former director, health services, had said, “The expert committee for conducting audit into the death of COVID-19 positive patients which was set up on April 3 has, till this date, examined 57 cases of death of persons who had tested positive for COVID-19. This committee examined all relevant documents, including bed-head-ticket, treatment history, laboratory investigation report, death certificates and other documents sent by the hospitals concerned, and found that 18 deaths were due to COVID-19 infections.”
Woman tests positive after giving birth
A woman in Kolkata has tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after giving birth to her child in a hospital here. She has been shifted to another facility eight kilometres away, leaving her four-day-old child in the previous hospital.
Doctors have kept the baby in isolation and are monitoring for any signs of infection, an official of the private hospital said on Saturday.
The woman, who is in her early thirties, was asymptomatic when she was brought to the super specialty hospital on April 19, the official said, adding: “A surgery was done on that day and she gave birth to the baby.” The following day, she developed fever and was tested for COVID-19.
“On April 23, test results showed that she was infected by coronavirus,” said the official. “Immediately, she was shifted since ours is not a COVID-19 hospital.”
Doctors, nurses and other health workers who came in contact with the woman have been isolated, and the entire building, including the operation theatre, have been sanitised.
“We now have a fresh team of nurses and other operations have been rescheduled,” said the official.
WITH PTI