The first case of the mutant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was reported in Kolkata on Wednesday in a youth who returned recently from the U.K. He is presently under isolation at the Calcutta Medical College. The State Health Department has advised all who have come in contact with him to remain in isolation.
Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay held a high-level meeting directing the police to remain vigilant and people to exercise restraint ahead of New Year festivities. Mr. Bandyopadhyay ruled out extreme steps like night curfew but added that people should not mingle without masks. The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday had urged the State government to step up measures to avoid any crowding during the New Year celebrations.
Meanwhile, West Bengal recorded 1,178 new cases of COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the State to 5,50,893. The State recorded 28 deaths during the day, taking the total deaths due to the contagious viral infection to 9,683. The discharge rate in the State increased to 95.99%, and the active cases in the State dropped to 12,381.
In another development, the second dose of the third phase trial of the COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ was administered to State’s Urban Development Minister and former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim at NICED, a Central government facility in the city.
