Bengal reports 54 more COVID-19 cases

West Bengal has reported 54 fresh cases of COVID-19, taking the total count of active patients in the state to 245, a senior official said.

In the last 24 hours, 424 samples were tested for the disease, Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said on Monday.

According to the state health department, a total of 330 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in West Bengal so far.

Of them, 12 have succumbed to the disease, and 73 have been discharged after recovery.

Altogether, 5,469 samples have been examined for COVID-19 in the state.

The Union Health Ministry, however, put the total figure in the state at 339.

Meanwhile, the state government on Monday started conducting rapid antibody tests.

Tests were conducted in the city and neighbouring Howrah district, where several COVID-19 positive cases have been reported, Sinha said.

"We have started conducting rapid tests in the city and in Howrah, where several COVID-19 cases were reported. From tomorrow, we will start conducting tests at low incidence districts of North Bengal and South Bengal," the chief secretary added.