A day after the town reported a single death of a Covid patient, 10 such patients died in Siliguri in the last 24 hours.

Four of the deceased were residents of areas under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) and another from rural area of the Siliguri Sub Division. A 45-year-old resident of Ward 20 died in the Desun (Covid) Hospital last night, while another woman, a resident of Ward 15, died there early this morning.

An 86-year-old person from Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar district also died there last night. He had been undergoing treatment there since 7 August, while another person from the same district died today. He was 62. A 62-year-old resident of Islampur in North Dinajpur also died in the same hospital today, along with an 80-yearold resident of Bagdogra.

Three patients, a 50-yearold resident of Siliguri, a 79- year-old person from Malbazaar in Jalpaiguri district and a 50-year-old resident of Kishanganj in Bihar died in Dr Chhang’s (Covid) Hospital.

A resident of Sukantanagar in Ward 38 under the SMC was “brought dead” at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital yesterday. His swab reports today confirmed he had Covid-19.

Meanwhile, 55 cases have been recorded in Darjeeling district, and 35 cases in the SMC area. Sources said 24 persons were tested positive in the civic body area in Darjeeling district. Naxalbari registered eight cases, Matigara 17, two at Phansidewa, three in Sukna and one case at Sukhia Pokhari.

66 cases in Malda

Malda reported 66 new cases of Covid-19 in tests conducted in the VRDL in the Malda Medical College and Hospital last night, taking the number of total affected to over 3600 in the district, with 18 deaths so far and more than 800 active cases.

S Dinajpur takes stock of situation

In South Dinajpur, a meeting of the district Covid task force was held at the district collectorate office today, where discussions were held on various issues, including partial lockdown in the district. The meeting decided to continue with the restrictions as officials claimed that the same had worked and good results were showing.

Officials in the meeting claimed that the rate of Covid cases in the district had been declining due to the lockdown and other measures taken up by the district administration.

“As per records, it has come down to 16 percent from the 18 percent in the last one week. The total number of cases in the district was 2017 on 14 August, with 72 new patients. As per the records, the infection rate in the district is 7.6 percent and discharge rate 79 percent, while the death rate is 0.8 percent,” officials said.

“We have also decided to arrange for fire safety measures in every Covid hospital and safe houses,” District Magistrate Nikhil Nirmal said.

Darjeeling patient tests negative

A 55-year-old Covid patient, whom the police yesterday nabbed after he had fled earlier, tested negative for the virus today. The man from Chotta Hatta Gaon in the Rimbick- Lodhoma constituency in Darjeeling had been missing for 11 days after he fled while being taken to a hospital in an ambulance on 2 August.