In West Bengal, the total number of Covid-19 cases reached closer to 10,000 on Thursday with 440 new coronavirus patients in the sate. The total number of Covid-19 cases reported from Bengal reached 9,768.
The West Bengal government bulletin said that 10 more people had died of the disease in the state, taking the death toll to 442.
The number of active Covid-19 cases in the state rose to 5,338 and a total of 3,988 people had been discharged so far, the bulletin said.
Even as the state copes with Covid-19 and the aftermath of cyclone Amphan, it faces yet another challenge — rising number of dengue patients.
Meanwhile, in a first in the state, some patients received plasma therapy.
As the Mamata Banerjee government continues to defend the way it has responded to the pandemic, a viral video of dead bodies being loaded into a van caused fresh controversy in the state.
While the government is still deciding when it re-open educational institutes, it announced distribution of masks and soaps along with the mid-day meal in government-aided schools.
Here are the updates from West Bengal today:
Viral video sparks new controversy
The video purportedly showing decomposed bodies of Covid-19 patients being loaded into a van in south Kolkata suburb Garia went viral on Thursday. While it sparked controversy over the manner in which the bodies were being loaded, people of the area also protested over it.
The video was allegedly shot outside the Garia crematorium.
It elicited criticism from West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who took to Twitter and said, “Anguished ! Share public outrage and deep concern at most unconscionable heart rendering callous dragging of dead bodies reflected in videos. Shocked at state of affairs
@MamataOfficial
Have sought urgent briefing today from KMC Chairperson and Municipal Commissioner.”
However, the authorities called the video fake.
PTI reported that the West Bengal Health Department and the city police said the video was “fake” and that the bodies were unclaimed ones from a hospital morgue.
The video showed personnel of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation loading the decomposed bodies into a van allegedly outside Garia crematorium. It also showed locals objecting to the cremation of a number of decomposed bodies at the same place.
Locals told PTI that the cremation of so many decomposed bodies of COVID-19 patients at the crematorium located in the vicinity of a densely populated locality at a time when the city is witnessing rising cases of the contagion would harm public health.
The principal of NRS Medical College, Saibal Kumar Mukherjee, wrote to Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma that 14 unclaimed bodies were handed over to the KMC as per the list provided by different police stations under the jurisdiction of the hospital’s morgue.
“And none of these bodies were of COVID patients. The subject of this video is fake, and you may take necessary action in this regard,” Mukherjee said in his letter, reported PTI.
Assuring people that he would look into the incident, the city mayor Firhad Hakim said that the bodies of novel coronavirus victims in the city are cremated at a separate burning ground at Dhapa in its eastern fringes.
The opposition CPI(M) and BJP criticised the state government and alleged that the “video clip is a proof of the TMC trying to hide the actual number of COVID-19 deaths in the state”.
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said it must be ascertained whether the bodies are of those who died of COVID-19.
“I have earlier said that the real number of COVID-19 deaths in West Bengal are being suppressed,” PTI quoted Ghosh as saying.
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First few patients receive plasma therapy
Reports said that in Kolkata’s Beliaghat ID hospital a nurse and a health worker infected with Covid-19 were given convalescent plasma therapy.
Anandabazar Patrika reported that plasma was donated by the third coronavirus patient in the state, staff of the Calcutta Medical College and several others have donated plasma.
The report said that the process of giving plasma therapy to patients at Beliaghata ID began after the Department of Immuno-Hematology and Blood Transfusion of the Calcutta Medical College collected plasma from coronavirus-free people.
Dengue new headache for Bengal
Amid the pandemic, hundreds of dengue cases are being reported from across the state.
A report in the Anandabazar Patrika reported Calcutta Municipal corporation sources as saying that at least 573 people had dengue in the state with 90 of them in Kolkata.
According to the report, there were two patients who had been infected with both Covid-19 and dengue. While one of the patients has been discharged after recovery, the other patient is in a stable condition.
The report mentioned that dengue report came out positive for a patient who had died of Covid-19.
Masks, soap along with mid-day meal
The West Bengal government on Thursday said it will provide students of state-run schools with masks and soaps along with other items as part of the midday meal scheme from July to help them protect themselves from coronavirus, reported PTI.
Education Minister Partha Chatterjee announced that students were being provided rice and potato during the lockdown and from next month they will be given daal, soybean, mask and soap,
These items will be handed over to guardians of students from their schools.
The minister said the government will also provide free text books, exercise books and pencils to students in Amphan-affected areas of the state.
(With PTI inputs)