The Bengal government on Thursday reported seven Covid-19 deaths, 92 fresh coronavirus cases and 31 hospital discharges over the past 24 hours, during which 2,611 tests were conducted that raised the rate to 363 per million population.

The total number of active Covid-19 patients in Bengal is 1,101, up from 572 last Thursday. The state has had 1,548 total confirmed Covid-19 cases so far. The seven deaths took the toll directly from the pathogen to 79, with 46 of them reported in the past seven days. There have been 72 other deaths attributed to co-morbidities.

The total number of cured patients, with the 92 in the past 24 hours, has risen to 296. In the first seven days of May, 157 persons have been reported cured, lifting the recovery rate to 19.12 per cent on Thursday from 18 per cent on April 30.

Of the 79 deaths linked directly to the novel coronavirus, 47 were from Calcutta, 14 from Howrah and 13 from North 24-Parganas. Of the 1,101 active positive cases, 535 are from Calcutta, 282 from Howrah and 151 from North 24-Parganas.

“Despite all the negative propaganda, aimed solely at maligning Bengal, there is little cause for worry from the Bengal numbers, especially when you compare with most of the other big states,” junior health minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said.

If the cumulative case number of 1,548 is taken into account, 783 are from Calcutta, 324 from Howrah and 220 from North 24-Parganas.

A total of 32,752 tests have been conducted in Bengal as of Thursday, nearly double the figure reported seven days ago: 16,525. The current test rate of 363 per million population is up from 183 last Thursday.

The positive confirmation rate — the percentage of people found infected among those tested — has risen from 4.6 per cent last Thursday to 4.73 per cent this Thursday.

The Centre has approved Burdwan Medical College and Hospital as the 17th laboratory in Bengal for carrying out novel coronavirus tests.

There are 4,757 people in the 582 state-run quarantine centres and another 9,618 people in home quarantine.

Industry reopening

The Bengal government has received 13,324 applications from industries and enterprises for resumption of operations so far and approved 5,560 of them.