With each passing day, the Covid-19 situation in West Bengal is going out of control of the state administration. In the last 24 hours, 9,073 people were infected, which is nearly double the number of the people that got infected two days earlier.According to the data available with the state Health department, on Monday 6,078 people got infected with Covid-19, but on Tuesday it made a quantum leap and touched 9,073, taking the total number of Covid-infected patients to 16,64,308 in the state.The rapid increase in the spread of the disease has forced the state to go for a partial lockdown.On Monday, the infection rate in the state was 439 but on Sunday it rose to 6,153 — a 12-time surge. On Tuesday the rate touched 9,073.The rate of increase in infected cases during the last seven days has been alarmingly upward. On last Wednesday, the daily rate of infections crossed the 1,000-mark for the first time in the last 177 days, recording 1,089. On last Thursday, the rate increased to 2,128, last Friday it was 3,415, — a daily increase of 1,000 or more. On Sunday it showed a daily increase of more than 1,500 taking the figure of daily infections to 6,153. On Monday it was slightly lower with 6,078 cases.Kolkata recorded the highest rate of infection among the districts recording more than half of Covid infections.According to data available with the state Health department, 4,759 people were found to be Covid-positive in the city on Saturday, followed by North 24 Parganas that saw daily infection of 1,391 positive cases while Howrah recorded 698 cases.The state government is keen to stop the rapid surge of the disease. The government, apart from imposing restrictions on movement and the people, has announced containment zones in different parts of the city and suburbs.At present, the state government has announced 26 micro-containment zones in Howrah, 118 in the North and South 24 Parganas and another 25 in Kolkata.”We are against total lockdown. We are taking every possible step to control the spread of the disease,” a senior state government official said.
SURAT: Three persons with no travel history have tested positive for the Omicron in Surat on Friday, even as Diamond city recorded 97 fresh cases of the Covid-19. Surat district registered 19 more cases of the deadly virus responsible for the global pandemic. The Omicron infected persons included a 52-year-old textile businessman from Bhatar area. He had complained of cold and cough and had tested positive for Covid-19 on December 18. He was in home isolation and his health is normal now. On Friday his genome sequencing report confirmed Omicron infection. Three out of 23 who came in his contact with the textile businessman also tested positive for Covid-19 and are under home isolation. A 66-year-old woman from Ghod Dod Road was another Omicron infected with no travel history. She tested Covid positive on December 17 after complaints of cold and cough. The fully vaccinated woman was stable, said health officials. Out of the 24 people who came in contact with the patient, none was found positive. The third Omicron patient is a 46-year-old builder from City Light area also with no travel history. He tested Covid positive on December 19 after he complained of fever. He is fully vaccinated. All 21 of his contacts were found to be negative for coronavirus. Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) health officials said that 12 school and college students tested positive for Covdi-19 on Friday. Of the total cases reported in the city, five persons had international travel history. Four persons of a family tested positive in Vaniraj Residency of Sarthana after which the society has been declared a cluster area. In Rander’s Nilkanth Residency, three persons from a family were found infected after which the society was declared a cluster zone.