Marginal positivity rise in Kolkata, suburbs – Times of India

KOLKATA: Weekly case positivity rateis on the rise in Kolkata, according to data compiled and analysed by the state heath department. Though the rise is marginal, experts have stressed on continuous monitoring of the situation.
Along with Kolkata, health officials are also seeing a rise in positivity rate in a few other districts, including the neighbouring Howrah and South 24 Parganas districts and also Darjeeling.
The public health wing of Swasthya had prepared the weekly data for three weeks starting from July 19 till August 15. The data sheet with various aspects, including weekly positivity, number of tests, deaths, active cases and recovery rate pertaining to each district, has been prepared to see the current trend in the state.

According to the data, the case positivity rate in Kolkata was 1.6% between July 19 and 25. It rose to 1.9% the next week. Even as it had dipped to 1.7% the following week, the rate again climbed to 1.9% between August 9 and 15.
“Even if the rise is not sharp, we need to keep a tab. If the rising trend persists for a few weeks, it should sound an alarm bell for us. In such a case, we can find out the reason behind the rise, zero in on the problem and try to implement the solution as quickly as possible before the situation turns worse,” said a senior health department doctor.
Hospitals in the city have been seeing a gradual rise in number of patients. Many hospitals had started recording patients in single digit in the first two weeks of July. But now most hospitals have patients in double digits.
In Howrah, the positivity rate, which stood at 1.9% between July 19 and 25, shot up to 2.2% between August 9 and 15. In South 24 Parganas, it climbed from 1.5% to 1.7% during the same period.
“The most worrisome district, however, is Darjeeling where the positivity rate jumped from 2.7% to 3.3%. During these two weeks, the average weekly positivity rate for the state was 1.60% and 1.61%, respectively,” said a source at Swasthya Bhawan. The Union health ministry two weeks ago had mentioned about Darjeeling being a cause of concern. Jalpaiguri, Bankura, West Midnapore and Malda are some other districts where positivity rate is on a slight rise.
The number of fresh positive cases as well as deaths across the state on Thursday went up to 731 and 12, respectively, from 643 and seven reported on Wednesday.
Unlike the tail end of the first wave, when the number of cases had plunged to only about 200 or less per day and remained this way for a good part of February and March, this time, even as the cases have come down drastically, the daily average number has remained around the 700 -mark for weeks now.