Friday, March 29, 2024

COVID: Bengal reports record 89 single-day deaths, 17,403 fresh cases; state seeks three crore vaccines

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By PTI
KOLKATA: West Bengal on Thursday registered its highest single-day deaths of 89 people due to COVID-19, pushing the toll to 11,248, the health department said.

The coronavirus tally topped the 8-lakh-mark to settle at 8,10,955 after 17,403 tested positive in the last 24 hours, it said.

The metropolis accounted for 23 deaths, followed by neighbouring North 24 Parganas (21), South 24 Parganas (11), Howrah (7), Hooghly (6) and Bankura (5) districts, the bulletin said.

The new infections include 3,912 from North 24 Parganas and 3,901 in Kolkata.

The state now has 1,10,241 active cases, it said, adding, 12,885 patients recovered since Wednesday.

So far, 6,89,466 people have been discharged following recovery.

A total of 1,03,79,305 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, around 1,33,135 people were vaccinated in the state on Thursday, a health department official said.

Burrabazaar and its adjoining wholesale markets in Kolkata downed shutters for four days starting Thursday to contain the spread of COVID-19, traders said.

“In the wake of the Covid situation, the wholesale markets at Burrabazaar, Chandni, Ezra street and Dharmatala area remained shut today, and will continue to be closed till Sunday,” Confederation of West Bengal Trade Association president Sushil Poddar said.

“We will review the situation on Monday,” he added.

Poddar also appealed to traders to close such markets in other areas, too, till Sunday.

West Bengal on Thursday registered its highest single-day deaths of 89 people due to COVID-19, pushing the toll to 11,248, the health department said.

The coronavirus tally topped the 8-lakh-mark to settle at 8,10,955 after 17,403 tested positive in the last 24 hours.

The state government on Thursday wrote to the Centre, seeking supply of at least three crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines for state-run and private hospitals, an official said.

Two crore doses would be required to inoculate about one crore people in the 18-45 age bracket through government medical facilties and the rest for vaccinating 50 lakh beneficiaries who would visit private hospitals.

“The three crore doses is needed to vaccinate 1.5 crore people in West Bengal in the phase scheduled to start from May 1. We will send more requisitions in subsequent phases,” he said.

The state government will pay for the vaccines, the official added.

He said that the Centre has also been urged to maintain supply of the free vaccine doses for those above the age of 45.

The inoculation drive has hit a roadblock at several private and state-run hospitals in West Bengal due to unavailability of the vaccines, doctors said.

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