Biggest single-day jump of 669 cases reported in Bengal; tally over 20,000

The number of Covid-19 cases in West Bengal crossed the 20,000-mark as the state reported its highest single-day spike of 669 new infections on Friday, according to a bulletin issued by the Health Department.

The fresh cases pushed the virus count to 20,488 in the state, it added.

The state also reported the highest number of fatalities on a single day at 18, raising the death toll to 717, the bulletin said.

Of the 18 deaths, 17 fatalities were due to comorbidities where Covid-19 was incidental, it said.

There are 6,200 active Covid-19 cases in the state at present.

Eight people died in Kolkata, while three fatalities each were reported from Howrah and North 24 Parganas, two from South 24 Parganas and one each from Hooghly and Malda, it added.

At 2,078, Kolkata has the highest number of active cases. There were 1,358 such cases in North 24 Parganas, 850 in Howrah, 562 in South 24 Parganas, 337 in Hooghly and 293 in Malda and 125 in Darjeeling, the bulletin said.

Since Thursday, 534 people have been discharged from different hospitals in the state after they recovered from the infection.

Till Friday, 13,571 people have recovered from the disease in the state improving the discharge rate to 66.23 per cent.

In the last 24 hours, a record 11,053 samples were tested for Covid-19, it said.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee tested positive for Covid-19.

Party sources said that Chatterjee, who has been in self-isolation for a week with mild-fever, may shift to a hospital for treatment.

Over 20 officials of a nationalised bank in Bidhannagar also tested positive for the disease, following which the office was shut for a week.

An official of an insurance company in the city's Dalhousie area also tested positive for the disease. The office was evacuated and sanitisation process was carried out, health department sources said.