9 more die of COVID-19 in West Bengal, toll rises to 88: State government

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Kolkata, May 8 () With 130 new cases West Bengal witnessed the highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases, while nine more people died of the respiratory infection in the last 24 hours taking the toll in the state to 88, the health department said on Friday.

The second highest single-day increase of 112 was two days ago.

Of the nine fatalities, eight were from Kolkata and one from neighbouring Howrah.

The Union Health Ministry has, however, put the death toll at 151. The state health department has attributed 72 deaths to comorbidity.

Of the fresh cases, 63 were from Kolkata, followed by 38 from Howrah, 12 from North 24 Parganas, five each from East Midnapore and Hooghly, four from South 24 Parganas, and one each from Nadia, East Burdwan and West Burdwan districts.

The total number of active cases in the state now stands 1,195, the state health department said.

In the last 24 hours, 3,015 samples were tested and the total number of samples tested so far is 35,767.

At least 27 people were discharged from hospitals following recovery in the last 24 hours, it said. A 52-year-old patient, who was on ventilator for 38days in a private hospital, is one of them.

"He was suffering from high fever and breathing problem when he was admitted to the hospital on March 29. He was on ventilator from the next day till May 2," a health department source said.

A 68-year-old cancer patient from Assam, who tested positive for novel coronavirus and was undergoing treatment at a city hospital, was also discharged on Friday evening. SCH NN NSD