25,000-plus COVID tests on Thursday: highest on a single day in Bengal so far, highest positive cases on a day as well

There were 25,224 COVID-19 tests conducted in West Bengal on Thursday – the highest number of tests done on a single day so far in the state. The Bengal government had set a target of conducting over 25,000 tests every day in mid-August.

On Thursday, there were 2,954 new cases reported on a single day. This number too has been the highest in the state on a single day so far, but state government officials explained that the higher the number of tests done, the number of positive cases reported per day is likely to increase too. With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Bengal increased to 86,754 on Thursday.

The crucial factor here is the percentage of positive cases out of the number of tests done, and that percentage seems to be either reducing or is steady, and has seen no major increase. Officials say that this is a good sign.

The total number of tests done so far in Bengal reached 10,28,251 on Thursday. Tests are being conducted in 59 laboratories, including the government labs and those that are privately run.

Discharge rate of COVID-19 patients too has increased in Bengal – to 70.34 per cent. Altogether, 61,023 patients have been treated and discharged in the state, with 2,061 discharged in the last 24 hours. The total number of deaths in Bengal has now reached 1,902, with 56 deaths reported in the past one day. There are currently 23,829 cases of active COVID-19 patients in the state.

[Cover image: plasma donation at Medical College, Kolkata]