With a steady spurt in the number of Covid-19 cases, health experts have urged novel coronavirus suspects to undergo nasal swab sample tests to confirm the infections.’ Meanwhile a 60-year-old woman from Amherst Street died of Covid infections on Saturday at Beliaghata ID Hospital.

With an alarming positivity rate of nearing 15 per cent covid-19 has already claimed 11 lives including a 15-yearold boy in the state during the last two weeks. More than 100 Covid positive patients, mainly elderly people, are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the city.

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Experts, attached with several committees formed by the state government to monitor and control the viral disease, felt that infection positivity rate may shoot up if more and more Covid confirmatory tests are done in laboratories.

“More and more tests and use of masks and hand sanitisers are essential to prevent the disease. Many people, showing symptoms of coronavirus, are reluctant to undergo Covid tests and are spreading infections among others,” felt a senior member of the advisory committee.

Elderly people with different co-morbidities are highly vulnerable to get infected with the disease. Covid can rapidly damage their organs like liver, lungs, kidneys or heart if they are attacked by coronavirus, said Dr Sukumar Mukherjee, a leading member of the committee. In a Covid-19 review meeting chaired by the Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, states and Union Territories (UTs) were recently asked to get prepared with infrastructure facilities in hospitals for treatment of Covid patients.

With directives of the health ministry 31 government hospitals in Bengal have already conducted mock drills to assess preparedness on how to fight the viral diseases if the novel coronavirus situation worsens in Bengal.

The ministry has also advised the states and UTs to increase testing of swab samples of Covid-19 suspects. A senior official at Swasthya Bhaban said that the situation in Bengal is under control though there has been a steady hike in the number of positivity rates in the state since last week of March.

The positivity rate in some districts, including Kolkata has already crossed 13 per cent. “There is no need to panic unless the infection is accompanied by severe symptoms like high fever and respiratory distress affecting the lungs. The infection is likely to remain mild in most cases but we would advise elderly people with major co-morbidities like highly diabetic and hypertension should undergo treatment,” a senior public health expert said.