Centre cautions Bengal, Assam as cases surge

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 30

The Health Ministry on Saturday asked the governments of Assam and Bengal to watch out for rising Covid burden and plummeting testing as the states report a surge.

Calling for enforcement of Covid-appropriate protocols, the Health Ministry in a letter to chief secretaries of Assam and West Bengal said weekly new Covid infections in the states had been rising over the week starting October 20, and there were signals of rising case positivity too.

Bengal has been witnessing a surge in Covid cases since the Durga puja celebrations. The letter from the Health Ministry records a 41 per cent increase in weekly new cases in Assam in the week commencing October 20-26 and positivity rate rise from 1.89 per cent in the week starting September 28 to 2.22 per cent in the week starting October 19. The Centre has also said Covid tests in Assam declined from 1,64,071 in the week starting September 28 to 1,27,048 in the week starting October 19.

West Bengal also saw over 40 per cent rise in new weekly Covid infections and positivity rise from 1.93 per cent in the week starting September 28 to 2.39 per cent in the week starting October 19.

Tests in Bengal fell from 2,62,319 to 2,61,515 in the corresponding period.