West Bengal on Friday recorded yet another highest single-day spike of 1,198 COVID-19 cases. Twenty-six deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours. The total number of cases has increased to 27,109, of which 8,881 are active.<\/p>\n
Of the 26 deaths, 13 were recorded in Kolkata, six in North 24 Parganas and four in Howrah. One death each was recorded in Hooghly, Purba Medinipur and Howrah. The total number of deaths in the State due to the infection stands at 880.<\/p>\n
An analysis of the daily COVID-19 infections and deaths reveals that both the figures have doubled in the past two weeks. For instance, on June 27, the number of new infections recorded were 521 and the deaths were 13. On June 28, the number of infections had increased to 572, while the deaths in the past 24 hours had dropped to 10. Since the end of June, the number of infections and deaths have increased almost on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
New hotspot<\/h2>\n
North 24 Parganas district has emerged as a new hotspot, recording a high number of cases and deaths. On Friday, North 24 Parganas recorded 328 cases. Kolkata was the only place where single-day infections were higher than the district, at 374 cases. The discharge ratio now stands at 63.99%.<\/p>\n
Another major area of concern pointed out by health experts is that despite the number of infections and deaths rising, the State has not increased the number of samples being tested . The average daily samples tested in the State remains between 10,000 to 11,000 over the past several days.<\/p>\n
Strict lockdown<\/h2>\n
Meanwhile, strict lockdown has been operational since Thursday evening in 434 containment zones. Most of the containment zones are in North 24 Parganas district, followed by Howrah and South 24 parganas districts. In Kolkata, there are 25 containment zones.<\/p>\n
Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma visited various areas of the city and assured that the police will cater to the essential needs of people living in containment zones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n