2020 coronavirus pandemic in West Bengal

2020 COVID-19 Pandemic in West Bengal
Districts of West Bengal, affected by COVID-19, as of 25 April 2020   100+ confirmed cases   50–99 confirmed cases   10–49 confirmed cases   1–9 confirmed cases
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	West Bengal, India
First outbreak	Wuhan, Hubei, China
Index case	Kolkata
Arrival date	17 March 2020
Confirmed cases	871 (2 May 2020)
Active cases	624
Recovered	199 (2 May 2020)
Deaths	48 (2 May 2020)
Official website
www.wbhealth.gov.in

The 2019-20 COVID-19 Pandemic was first confirmed in the Indian state of West Bengal on 17 March 2020 in Kolkata. ^[1] The Health and Family Welfare department of Government of West Bengal has confirmed a total of 912 cases, including 663 active cases, 50 deaths and 199 recoveries, as of 3 May 2020. West Bengal has one of the lowest coronavirus testing rates in the country. ^[2]

Timeline

COVID-19 cases in West Bengal, India  ( v t e )      Deaths        Recoveries        Active cases MarMarAprAprMayMayLast 15 daysLast 15 days
Date			# of cases	# of deaths
2020-03-18		​	1(n.a.)
2020-03-20		​	2(+100%)
2020-03-21		​	3(+50%)
2020-03-22		​	4(+33%)
2020-03-23		​ ​	7(+75%)	1(n.a.)
2020-03-24		​ ​	9(+29%)	1(=)
2020-03-25		​ ​	9(=)	1(=)
2020-03-26		​ ​	10(+11%)	1(=)
2020-03-27		​ ​	15(+50%)	1(=)
2020-03-28		​ ​	17(+13%)	1(=)
2020-03-29		​ ​	20(+18%)	1(=)
2020-03-30		​ ​	22(+10%)	2(+100%)
2020-03-31		​ ​ ​	27(+23%)	3(+50%)
2020-04-01		​ ​ ​	37(+37%)	3(=)
2020-04-04		​ ​ ​	55(+49%)	3(=)
2020-04-06		​ ​ ​	67(+22%)	3(=)
2020-04-07		​ ​ ​	77(+15%)	5(+67%)
2020-04-08		​ ​ ​	79(+2.6%)	5(=)
2020-04-09		​ ​ ​	88(+11%)	5(=)
2020-04-10		​ ​ ​	97(+10%)	5(=)
2020-04-11		​ ​ ​	103(+6.2%)	5(=)
2020-04-12		​ ​ ​	105(+1.9%)	7(+40%)
2020-04-13		​ ​ ​	120(+14%)	7(=)
2020-04-14		​ ​ ​	130(+8.3%)	7(=)
2020-04-15		​ ​ ​	142(+9.2%)	7(=)
2020-04-16		​ ​ ​	157(+11%)	10(+43%)
2020-04-17		​ ​ ​	227(+45%)	10(=)
2020-04-18		​ ​ ​	252(+11%)	12(+20%)
2020-04-19		​ ​ ​	276(+9.5%)	12(=)
2020-04-20		​ ​ ​	330(+20%)	12(=)
2020-04-21		​ ​ ​	362(+9.7%)	15(+25%)
2020-04-22		​ ​ ​	394(+8.8%)	15(=)
2020-04-23		​ ​ ​	452(+15%)	15(=)
2020-04-24		​ ​ ​	506(+12%)	18(+20%)
2020-04-25		​ ​ ​	546(+7.9%)	18(=)
2020-04-26		​ ​ ​	586(+7.3%)	20(+11%)
2020-04-27		​ ​ ​	633(+8%)	20(=)
2020-04-28		​ ​ ​	663(+4.7%)	22(+10%)
2020-04-29		​ ​ ​	696(+5%)	22(=)
2020-04-30		​ ​ ​	744(+6.9%)	33(+50%)
2020-05-01		​ ​ ​	801(+7.7%)	41(+24%)
2020-05-02		​ ​ ​	871(+8.7%)	48(+17%)
2020-05-03		​ ​ ​	912(+4.7%)	50(+4.2%)
Source: wbhealth.gov.in.

February

4 February: A Kolkata Airport passenger was kept under hospital isolation. Later he was tested negative. ^[3]

March

17 March: One male, aged 18 years who had returned from the UK on 15 March, was tested positive. ^[4]

20 March: One male, aged 22 years who had returned from the UK on 13 March, was tested positive. ^[5]

21 March: One female, aged 23 years who had returned from Scotland on 19 March, was tested positive. ^[6]

22 March: One male, aged 57 years who was admitted to a private facility in North Kolkata, was tested positive. ^[7]

23 March: First COVID-19 death was reported as the 57-year-old male patient expired at the private facility. He was a railway employee and recently came from Bilaspur. Two males (48 years and 20 years) and one female (47 years), who were in direct contacts of a positive case, were tested positive. ^[8]

24 March: One 58-year-old male, who returned from Egypt and one 55-year-old female, who returned from the UK, were tested positive. ^[9]

26 March: One male, aged 66 years who was admitted to a private facility in South Kolkata, was tested positive. ^[10]

27 March: One male (aged 11 years) and four females (aged 27 years, 45 years, 6 years and 9 months), all belonging to a close group of siblings and relatives, were tested positive. ^[11] They came in contact with a positive case in Delhi who came from the UK on 16 March.

28 March: Two females, aged 76 years and 56 years who both were kept under quarantine for coming in direct contact with one previously COVID-19 positive case, were tested positive. ^[12] They came in contact with their close relatives who came from the US and Singapore.

29 March: One female of about 44 years who was admitted to a government hospital in Kalimpong on 28 March and had travel history to Thailand and Kerala, was found positive. ^[13]

30 March: The female of 44 years from Kalimpong district expired at a government hospital in Siliguri. ^[14] Another female of 48 years, who expired at a government hospital in Howrah with a case of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, was later found COVID-19 positive. ^[15]

31 March: One male, who was aged 57 years and had Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, expired at a private facility in Howrah. He was tested positive. Total death count at the end of this month is 4. ^[16]

April

1 April: One male, aged 57 years having kidney failure and one male, aged 62 years having high blood pressure and other co-morbid conditions, expired early in the morning. Both of them were reportedly tested positive, which is a subject to confirmation. ^[17]

Current number of cases by district

[show all] v t e 2020 coronavirus pandemic in West Bengal by district
District	Total Cases	Active	Recoveries	Deaths
Basirhat	1	1	0	0
Darjeeling	7	5	0	2
Diamond Harbour	3	2	0	1
Purba Medinipur	5	0	0	0
Hoogly	12	10	4	1
Howrah	105	75	0	1
Jalpaiguri	5	0	5	0
Kalimpong	7	6	0	1
Kolkata	184	103	0	8
Murshidabad	1	0	0	1
Nadia	6	6	0	0
North 24 Parganas	37	36	0	1
South 24 Parganas	6	6	0	0
Paschim Bardhaman	7	6	0	1
Paschim Medinipur	3	3	0	0
Purba Bardhaman	8	7	0	1
Total	795	623	139	33

Testing

Testing Facilities

As of 28 April, the state has 15 laboratories (9 government and 6 private) approved by ICMR for testing. ^{[18] [19]}

Operational testing facilities

Public National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research, Kolkata Midnapore Medical College, Midnapore North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata Malda Medical College & Hospital, Malda Command Hospital, Kolkata Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata Murshidabad Medical College, Murshidabad

Private Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Canal Circular Road, Kolkata Tata Medical Center, Rajarhat, Kolkata Laboratory Services, Peerless Hospitex Hospital & Research Centre, Panchasayar, Kolkata AMRI Hospitals, Dept of Lab Medicine, Salt Lake City, Kolkata Suraksha Diagnostic Pvt. Ltd, Newtown, Kolkata Dr. Lal Pathlabs Ltd – Kolkata Reference lab, Newtown, Kolkata

Number of Covid Hospitals in the State: 64 ^[20]

Testing Statistics

Hotspots

The West Bengal state government has identified 7 hotspots as of 7 April 2020. The names of hotspots are not officially disclosed. There are rumours that Kolkata, Howrah, Belgharia, Haldia, Egra, Tehatta and Kalimpong are the 7 hotspots.People living here have been asked to stay inside. ^{[21] [22]}

Government Activities

14 March: Government on Saturday announced that all schools, colleges and universities in the state will remain closed till 31 March, in the view of evolving situation on the spread of COVID-19. ^[23]

17 March: State government stepped up its defence with chief minister Mamata Banerjee announcing the closure of educational institutions till 15 April. She said that even ICDS would be closed till 15 April and two kilograms of rice and potatoes would be sent to the children directly so that the meals can be cooked at home. ^[24]

21 March: The government has mandated a partial work-from-home system for 7.9 crore people who get subsidized rations. The CM promised that government will give free ration to the poor till September. ^[25]

23 March: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced Monday that the state government is creating a Rs 200 crore fund to deal with the impact of COVID-19. ^[26]

24 March: Entire West Bengal was brought under lock down till 31 March. ^[27]

25 March: West Bengal Government converts Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, for isolation of people suspected with Coronavirus. ^[28]

30 March: West Bengal government issues order to authorities of every districts to set up temporary arrangements of shelter and food to migrants and poor. ^[20]

Allegations against West Bengal Government

Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and her government was widely criticised of the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and was accused of concealing facts by the opposition and critics. ^{[29] [30]} The opposition accused Mamata of playing “appeasement politics” amid the COVID-19 crisis. On 1 April, Banerjee claimed that the West Bengal Government have already traced 54 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering during the COVID-19 Outbreak, and 44 of them are foreigners. Although according to a report by central security agencies, 232 people had attended the Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event from West Bengal. Of this, 123 are Indian nationals and 109 are foreigners. ^{[30] [31]} Sooner she clarified that her government has acted swiftly after the Nizamuddin area was declared as a hotspot where nearly 2,300 people were staying despite the lockdown. She further added that the government has quarantined 177 people, including 108 foreigners, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz. ^{[32] [33] [34]}

The West Bengal Government has been also criticised for not sending enough samples to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases(NICED) for testing. ^{[35] [36]} West Bengal test numbers saw some rise after talks between government and NICED. According to them, this will be scaled up further in coming days. ^[37]

The West Bengal Government has also been recommended to ensure transparency, genuine and verifiable data of COVID-19 by the West Bengal Doctors Forum (WBDF), as doctors cannot afford to send wrong signals to the world. ^[38] The doctors also hit out at the idea of the bureaucratic system to identify the death of COVID-19 patients. Their spokesperson claimed that every doctor is qualified enough and does not need a committee for such certification. ^[39] On April 25, 2020, The WB Govt admitted that 57 COVID-19 patients died but also said that 39 from comorbidities, after Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) seeks report. The IMCT also pointed out flaws of the Govt in their letter to the Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, in which the letter read:

There were a large number of patients in the isolation wards of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) as well as MR Bangur hospitals awaiting COVID test results for five days or longer. Specifically at CNCI, there were four patients awaiting test result since April 16, 2020, two patients awaiting test result since April 17, 2020, and three since April 18, 2020. Some of the patients have tested negative. It is not clear why the test results should take such a long time and there is a danger of COVID-19 negative patient acquiring the infection in the hospital while awaiting test result ^[40]

Statistics

Latest Statistics

Samples Tested	14,620
Positive	744
Under observation/surveillance
Current	10,773
Completed	57,765
Under quarantine	5,288
Till date	19,301
Completed	14,013
In hospital isolation	330
Recovered/discharged	139
Data provided by the Health and Family Welfare department as of 30 April 2020. [41]

Graphs

Source for graphs: Daily bulletin from wbhealth.gov.in .

Note for graphs: Gaps represent, missing data in the state bulletin.

Overview

Active cases

Daily new cases

Note: On Apr 17, cumulative missing data from previous days is included.

Semilog plot of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and of COVID-19 recoveries & deaths in West Bengal

Containment Zones

Red, Orange and Green Zones in West Bengal

The centre has identified 170 COVID-19 hotspot districts in 25 states across India. The states have been asked to classify hotspot areas as red zones and focus on converting the red zones to orange and then green zones.

The West Bengal government on Monday released a list, saying four districts, including Kolkata, have been declared as red zones in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, and 348 areas as containment zones, ^[42] out of which Kolkata has 227. There are some districts in Orange & Green zones. The lockdown process will be strict in those Red Zone Containment areas. Some relaxation will be given to Orange zones and Most relaxation will be given to Green Zones.

^{[43] [44] [41]}

See also

• 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India
• Timeline of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India
• 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic by country and territory
• Misinformation related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
• 2020 coronavirus lockdown in India

References

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13. "এ বার উত্তরবঙ্গে করোনার হানা, আক্রান্ত কালিম্পঙের মহিলা". Ei Samay (in Bengali). 29 March 2020.
14. "nCoV bulletin as on 30.03.2020" (PDF). WB Health Portal.
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22. "রাজ্যে মৃত বেড়ে ৫, চিহ্নিত করা এলাকায় তীক্ষ্ণ নজর". Anandabazar Patrika (in Bengali). 8 April 2020.
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29. Debobrat Ghose (8 April 2020). "Coronavirus Outbreak: Mamata Banerjee displays little cooperation even as Opposition unites to stand behind Centre". Firstpost. Retrieved 9 April 2020. Again, on 2 April, while seven coronavirus deaths in the state were confirmed by its health department, the figure was soon revised to three.
30. "Is hiding Jamaat cases about vote bank: BJP asks Mamata on Bengal coronavirus numbers". India Today. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020. The BJP has accused Mamata Banerjee of indulging in vote bank politics after the West Bengal Chief Minister refused to share update on those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, identified as a hotspot for the spread of novel coronavirus.
31. Madhuparna Das (7 April 2020). "Mamata calls questions on Tablighi event 'communal', avoids giving any answers". ThePrint. Retrieved 9 April 2020. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday declined to give an update on the status of the people from the state who had attended Delhi’s Tablighi Jamaat congregation, telling the media to not ask “communal questions”.
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33. 177 Tablighi Jamaat Attendees Quarantined In WB Says Mamata Banerjee - BW Businessworld
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35. Indrajit Kundu (13 April 2020). "Mamata govt not sending enough samples for Covid-19 testing, says central lab director". Kolkata: India Today . Retrieved 14 April 2020. Responding to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s complaints about lack of testing kits in West Bengal, Dutta said ICMR has dispatched 42,500 kits to NICED so far.
36. Himadri Ghosh (11 April 2020). "COVID-19: Data Shows West Bengal's Testing Is the Lowest Among Larger States". Kolkata: The Wire . Retrieved 14 April 2020. West Bengal has conducted 1,889 tests as on April 9, according to the data furnished by the state health department. A total of 144,910 samples from 130,792 individuals have been tested as on April 9, 2020, 9 pm across India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.
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