KOLKATA: The number of fresh Covid-19 positive cases in Kolkata on Saturday touched an all-time high with the city recording 997 cases. While this has been the highest single-day spike in the second wave, it also surpassed the maximum the city had recorded on a single day during the first wave last year, which was 931 cases on October 31. Healthcare experts had been apprehensive of an exponential rise in the city, especially during the elections.
A part of the city, in the southern fringes went to polls on Saturday, along with adjacent Howrah and South 24 Parganas. Doctors warned that the city should brace for the worst in the next two-three weeks. “Even in western countries, the second wave have been worst than the first. In Bengal with the polls adding to the situation, the scenario looks very bleak,” said microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhuri.
The number of fresh cases in the city had dipped as low as 33 in the beginning of March. Even when the numbers has started rising, the pace was slow. The explosion begun around March end.
From 513 fresh cases on April 2, it swelled to 987 on Friday and then to 997 on Saturday. “The situation seems to be spiralling out of control. With several rounds of polls yet to be conducted over the next fortnight, it is going to get much worse. People should realize that we need to go back to all Covid-19 appropriate behaviour that most of us had adhered to during the previous wave,” said Sumon Poddar associate professor at Institute of Child Health Kolkata.
The medical fraternity had been reiterating the need to stick by the Covid-19 protocols during electioneering process. But the rules have been widely violated. Out of the 21,366 s active cases across the state at present Kolkata’s share is 6513. Along with Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, too, is galloping with massive upsurge in positive cases.
“The healthcare system is already under much pressure with critical care beds running short in most Covid facilities. Going by the continuous onslaught by the rapidly rising numbers this is going to be a bigger acid test for the health administration that what we had faced during the first wave,” said a senior health department official.