The number of fresh cases in Kolkata on Thursday was 260, according to data compiled by KMC.
Many of the cases may be asymptomatic, but we need to follow all Covid-appropriate protocols. Letting the guard down will only make the situation worse.
According to the daily health department bulletin, the city recorded 232 cases, a marginal drop from 244 cases recorded on Wednesday. In Bengal, 833 cases were recorded, a slide from 867 on Wednesday.
Of the 260 cases recorded by KMC, 201 are asymptomatic. While 163 of these patients have received both doses of the vaccine, 19 have got one and 37 haven’t got a single dose.
While the number of cases in Bengal has been hovering between 600 and 700 for the past few weeks, the letting down of guard during the festival has been responsible for the current spurt, felt experts. It will continue to rise, they pointed out, as the number of tests, too, rise.
From around 38,000 a month ago, number of tests had slid to just 23,000 post-Puja. It has spiralled up to 33,000 now.
“Most testing centres were shut during the festival. It has started rising now and the results are showing. If more tests are conducted, the number of positives will rise. Most will be asymptomatic, though, since we now have a substantial vaccinated population and herd immunity,” said Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGMER) professor Diptendra Sarkar.
The prevailing festive mood and the shutting down of testing centres have combined to reduce the number of tests which could prove to be dangerous, pointed out oncologist Subir Ganguly. “People have been deferring their Covid tests and most government centres have been shut since the Pujas. This had pulled the number of affected down but it was not real and it’s now spiralling. More tests will show a further spurt in numbers and I fear that it’s waiting to happen,” said Ganguly.
Vaccination has led to a complacence and made people ignore Covid norms and lower their guard, said Sarkar. “We have managed to vaccinate around 60% of the targeted population in Bengal till now. While that is a good number, there is still a large unvaccinated section – those aged below 18 – who remain vulnerable,” added Sarkar.
“Rather than the absolute numbers, we must now look at the positivity rate to get the real picture. It indicates a rise in transmission and numbers which will not be reflected in the figures till we hike the number of tests,” said an internal medicine consultant.
Experts see the rise in positivity as an indication of a possible post-festival surge, which, they fear, could strike in 8-10 days.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/of-the-fresh-cov-cases-in-kol-in-24-hrs-over-75-asymptomatic-kmc/articleshow/87192616.cms
