A two-and-a-half month- old male baby arguably became the youngest Covid-19 patient to die in the state, when he breathed his last today in the pediatric isolation of the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), where he was admitted with his mother on Thursday, sources said. His mother, however, had been tested negative for the virus. NBMCH sources said the baby had been suffering from septicemia.

Sources said the residents of Umacharanpur in Alipurduar district had been shifted to the NBMCH from the hospital for Covid-19 patients at Matigara for dedicated health care support for the baby. “Septicemia was one of the major reasons for the death of the baby, who had tested positive for Covid-19,” a health department source said.

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On the other hand, three persons, residents of Siliguri, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling died in Dr Chhang’s (Covid) Hospital in the past 24 hours. A 58-year-old resident of Bagdogra died at Desun (Covid) Hospital, sources said.

66 fresh cases in Darj district

Meanwhile, 66 persons have freshly tested positive for Covid-19 in Darjeeling district, and 47 in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) area. Sources said 26 persons have been infected in the SMC area falling in the district.

Seven cases have been reported from Naxalbari, 15 from Matigara, three from Kharibari and one from Phansidewa blocks. Health department sources said three cases were also found at Sukna, two under Kurseong Municipality, three cases in the Darjeeling Municipality area, three in Mirik, one in Kurseong SubDivision and two in Bijanbari.

North Dinajpur CPM leader dies

CPI-M leader in North Dinajpur, Dulal Sarkar, who had tested positive for Covid19 died in the Raiganj Covid Hospital last night. He was 73.

A resident of Shanti Colony in Kaliyaganj, he was once a member of the district committee of the party and the former chairman of the District Primary School Council.

Though it is learnt that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, sources said he died of multiple organ failure.

Left Front members paid tribute to him from a distance near the Covid hospital this morning. “The leader was not well for the past few months, and was admitted in the Raiganj Medical College and Hospital with severe breathing problems last night, where he was tested for the virus. He was again immediately shifted to the Covid hospital where he died at around 11.30 last night,”

sources said. The Secretary of the North Dinajpur CPI-M committee, Apurba Paul, said, Sarkar was a very popular leader in Kaliyaganj.

“His death is an irreparable loss to the party. He was tested COVID positive, but he was suffering from other illnesses too. We will organize a memorial service for him as soon as the pandemic situation eases,” he said.

46 cases in Malda

In Malda, 46 of the 319 samples tested positive for Covid19 at the VRDL in the Malda Medical College and Hospital, sources said. Among the fresh cases, 21 samples were from Manikchak block, whereas the English Bazaar municipality had seven and Chanchal 12. The total cases in Malda have now gone up to almost 4450 with 27 deaths so far, though there are around 750 active cases presently.

A’duar CMOH tests positive for virus

Alipurduar district reported 54 fresh cases today. Also, the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of the district, Girish Chandra Bera, has tested positive for the virus in West Medinipur. Dr Bera had recently joined as the CMOH in Alipurduar and had gone to Paschim Medinipur a few days ago. Dr Bera said he was presently undergoing treatment in home isolation. The total number of Covid-19 cases in Alipurduar district now stands at 950, with 12 deaths so far.