Six more persons, including two Bihar residents, who had tested positive for Covid-19, died in Siliguri in the past 24 hours.

On the other hand, 106 Covid-19 cases were found in areas under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation( SMC). Also today, 49 Covid patients were discharged from various treatment centres after their recovery, officials said. A total of 26 patients have also ended their home isolation.

According to an official, the number of fresh cases was higher as they also received some pending results from yesterday.

Meanwhile, a 66-year old resident of Deshbandhu Para under Ward 27 died in a private nursing home last night. Two residents of Bihar, 55-year-old of Purnia and 58- year-old woman, died in another nursing home today. A resident of Jaigaon, 52, in Alipurduar also died in the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital today. A 67- year-old resident of Denguajhar in Alipurduar district also died in the Desun (Covid) Hospital today.

Though sources said three more persons from Sahudangi, Bhaktinagar and Pradhannagar had also died today, there was no official confirmation on the same.

Negligence slur on private nursing home

Family members of one of the deceased, on the other hand, accused a private nursing home of negligence.

A 64- year-old resident of Ward 27 had been admitted in the nursing home on 13 July after he suffered a cardiac arrest. “He was kept in the CCU for two-three days and later shifted to the general ward. There was a Covid-19 patient beside him in the general ward, who later died. After a few days, the nursing home informed us that he had been shifted to the CCU again as he had developed breathing problems. We had requested the nursing home to conduct a Covid test for my father since he was kept beside a positive patient and developed Covid19 symptoms. But they were reluctant. Left with no option, I contacted the Siliguri Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) and requested him to do the needful. Following his initiative, the test was conducted on 27 July and the reports came positive on 30 July,” said the son of the deceased.

“We got a call from the nursing home, asking for payment. I explained to him that we were in quarantine and would pay the same after completion of the isolation. However, within a few seconds, they again called us and said that my father was no more. There was utter negligence of treatment on the part of the nursing home,” he added.

Health department sources said officials will look into the allegations.

Malda cases up again

Meanwhile in Malda, after yesterday’s dip in the number of cases, the district today saw a spike with 98 fresh cases from among the 291 samples tested last night, sources said.

Bamongola block, which had not seen many positive cases, has now registered nine cases, while Gazole and English Bazaar blocks had 24 cases each, and the EBM had seven, and Old Malda just one.

37 more in S Dinajpur

In South Dinajpur, 37 more cases have been reported.

Of them, nine have been infected in Balurghat Municipality and three in the rural fringes of Balurghat. Nine of them are from Banshihari, nine from Gangarampur, one from Kushmandi, three from Harirampur, two from Tapan and one from Kumarganj.