Kolkata,15 May(HS): With 8 more people in West Bengal including 6 in Kolkata alone succumbing to Coronavirus during the last 24 hours, altogether 143 COVID-19 patients have lost their lives in the state till now despite all-out efforts to contain its spread.
At the same time, another 87 more people have also tested positive taking the total number of those affected to 2,377 so far.
A Medical Bulletin issued by the state Health Department here today said at Nabanna that as the number of those who also lost their lives in the state because of various other comorbidities remained stagnant at 72 like the last few days, the total number of deaths since the outbreak of the killer disease has now been calculated to 215 (143 plus 72).
According to the bulletin besides 6 deaths in Kolkata, two other died in North 24 Parganas and Howrah districts since yesterday.
However, at the same time altogether 66 Corona positive patients were recovered and released from different hospitals and with them so far a total of nearly 760 people have returned home after fully recovering from the disease.
Of the total 87 additional people tested positive of COVID-19 since yesterday, the maximum of 49 was from different parts of Kolkata, followed by others from Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts. the Bulletin said.
As the maximum number of those affected and died in Kolkata, the City police increased the number of Containment zones in the city to prevent further spread of the disease in new areas and took the total number of Containment zones to 539 in the state including as many as 343 in the city alone, with the maximum number of them remaining in North Kolkata.
Referring to the total number of people being treated in different Covid-19 hospitals, the bulletin said their number now stood at around 1415 with some reduction in their numbers since yesterday.
In addition, 22,322 people were released from government quarantine facilities and another 70,345 were released from different Home quarantines so far.
After ramping up the testing efforts of suspected and asymptomatic patients, as many as 5300 sample testing were conducted in one day today taking their total number to over 55,539 so far.
Expressing concern in the testing positive of Covid-19 of all the 8 nursing staff in a private nursing home on the Northern outskirts of the city forcing the authorities to close the nursing home for the time being since yesterday, the Bulletin said with more than 75 doctors and nursing staff of different medical institutions and hospitals getting affected so far and their number is increasing almost every day, the state health services were now facing a grim danger of their huge shortages in intensifying the overall fight against the disease.
About the industrial scenario of the state, the bulletin informed that till today 16,898 units had applied for the resumption of their business activities, of which the government had granted permission to 7760 units so far keeping in mind the general requirements of the economy.