North Bengal once again saw a spike in the daily count of Covid-19 patients, with 31 cases detected in North Dinajpur, six more in Malda and four cases in Alipurduar. Residents in different blocks of North Dinajpur went into a panic mode after 31 cases were detected there in the past 24 hours.
The total number of cases in the district has now crossed the 100 mark. “A total of 17 persons in different blocks in the Raiganj Sub-division have been found positive, while another 14 persons were freshly detected in areas under the Islampur Sub-division,” health officials said.
District health officials are worried about the rise in the Covid cases in the district, it is learnt. While officials failed to give the exact locations of the infections, source said all of them are migrant workers and that their swabs were sent for tests more than 10 days ago.
“We have received reports of 31 fresh positive cases in our district yesterday,” an official at the North Dinajpur district health office said.
The Chief Medical Officer of Health of North Dinajpur, Dr Rabindranath Pradhan, refused to say anything on the matter.
Four cases in Alipurduar district Meanwhile, Alipurduar district has detected four more covid-19 cases after a long gap.
All the four live in the Falakata block, it is learnt.
“The four persons, whose samples were taken on 16 May from the quarantine facility at Falakata have been tested positive by the NBMCH on 27 May evening,” said the Alipurduar Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Puran Sharma.
The four persons have been admitted to Dr Chhang’s (Covid) hospital in Siliguri, sources said, while their family members have been isolated in the Falakata rural hospital and are being tested. Earlier, five persons, including a “vaccine van driver” of the state health department were tested positive in Alipurduar.
Also today, panic spread after one patient fled from the Ayush hospital at Tapsikhata in Alipurduar Block-1 meant for suspected patients.
Later, police caught the person and re-admitted him in the same hospital, it is learnt.
Six more in Malda In Malda, six more Covid19 cases were detected last night, taking the total number of cases there to 133, including two persons from Bihar.
The rise in the coronavirus cases due to the influx of migrant workers in the district has already started creating panic among the people, who are now further aggravated by the scheduled arrival of 14 Shramik Special trains from Maharashtra today and tomorrow.
Meanwhile, for people returning to the English Bazaar municipal area, a quarantine centre has been set up at the Malda Polytechnic under the English Bazaar police station.
According to sources, five persons from Manikchak and one from Habibpur have tested positive for Covid 19 at the laboratory in the Malda Medical College and Hospital last night.
“On the other hand, nine today and five trains tomorrow are scheduled to reach Malda from Maharashtra, which will go to Guwahati via NJP. It is expected that at least 3000 plus workers will be coming home in these trains,” sources said.
Administrator of the English Bazaar Municipality, Nihar Ghosh, today visited Malda Polytechnic and said, “People of the EBM area coming by these trains will be quarantined here and their food will be managed by the EBM.”
A high-ranking official of the district administration, said, “All the gram panchayats will facilitate the workers by quarantining them in school buildings or panchayat community halls. They will also manage food for these people.”
Jalpaiguri reports two Two Covid-19 cases have also found in the Mainaguri Block in Jalpaiguri district. According to the Block Medical Officer of Health there, Dr Lucky Dewan, one of the two students who returned home from Kolkata had tested positive for ht evirus. It is further learnt that the other patient is an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA worker).