Experts wary of COVID-19 spike in 15 West Bengal districts during Durga puja
By Team Newsable | First Published Oct 19, 2020, 12:05 PM ISTHealth experts are expressing concern over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state of West Bengal. According to state health department sources, health officials are seeing 'danger signals' in 15 out of 23 districts in terms of the rate of COVID infection (case positivity rate) compared to the sample test in Bengal.
Health experts are expressing concern over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state of West Bengal.
Health experts warned of a heavy surge in the new infection rate immediately after Durga Puja.
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Doctors in Kolkata also found other states would also get affected because many people will come to their home state on the occasion of the festival and return back as asymptomatic patients.
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Veteran doctor Sukumar Mukherjee said, "Durga Puja followed by Kali Puja and Diwali is going to act as an amplifier. We are heading towards a tsunami of Covid-19 infection in our state. The rate of the daily positive case is between 8 and 9 percent when our goal is to restrict it within 5 percent. The swelling crowd during the festival days will definitely increase the daily positive cases. If the average growth of regular positive cases increases, patients with severe symptoms will have no option left other than dying at homes."
According to state health department sources, health officials are seeing 'danger signals' in 15 out of 23 districts in terms of the rate of COVID infection (case positivity rate) compared to the sample test in Bengal.
According to the health department, a weekly report on the increase in infections in each district, mortality rate, sample test images, number of active cases, recovery rate is published in the WhatsApp group of district administration officials. A report released four days before puja on Saturday (October 17) measured the case positivity rate with red ink under the names of 15 districts in the state. The health building is concerned about the statistics of eight districts reviewing the increase in death rate in COVID.
According to the District Health Service, the report divides the period from September 17 to October 14 into four stages. According to that report, the analysis of the statistics of October 8-14 showed that the case positivity rate (CPR) of North 24 Parganas was 24.48 percent. Maharashtra is at the top of the list of infections in the country. According to the latest statistics, the case positivity rate in Maharashtra (19.99) is also lower than North 24 Parganas. An official of the North 24 Parganas District Health Department said the positivity rate of government labs in the district was 16.9. Along with that, the positivity rate of the district has reached about 25 percent by holding the sample test of the private lab. In his words, "there does not seem to be any room for embankment. The main goal now is to reduce the death rate.”
Jhargram is the district where the CPR has increased a lot. From October 1 to October 7, the CPR in Jhargram was 5.69 percent. In seven days (October 8-14) it has increased by 13.11 percent. Kalimpong (5.93), West Burdwan (5.61), South 24 Parganas (5.59), East Burdwan (5.23) are the other districts that have been marked with red ink according to the Health Department's internal report.
Among the districts, South 24 Parganas (2.35) is at the top of the mortality index. Among the districts that have seen an increase in the death rate in COVID are East Midnapore (1.98), Murshidabad (1.53), Darjeeling (1.51), Kalimpong (1.29), Malda (1.22), Jalpaiguri (1.20), and Birbhum (1.15). Although North 24 Parganas topped the CPR, the district had a mortality rate of 1.90 percent during that period (October 6-14). Howrah (2.79) is ahead of Kolkata (2.16) and West Midnapore (2.19) in mortality.
Health Secretary Narayanaswarup Nigam, however, said there was nothing to panic about. In his words, "Most of the cases are either asymptomatic or mild. The recovery rate in the state is 6 percent. Request to the people of the state, follow the hygiene rules. People should be isolated as soon as symptoms appear. Older people should be especially careful. Hospitals have enough beds. The ICU, the general bed is being expanded.”
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