COVID deaths are continuing in West Bengal as deputy speaker of the West Bengal assembly, Sukumar Hansda, died due to coronavirus infection on Thursday. Hansda, MLA from Jhargram, was suffering from cancer and died at a private hospital this morning.
Hansda was in the hospital for over a fortnight. He recently tested COVID negative, but died due to comorbid complications arising out of cancer. Hansda is the fourth MLA from Bengal to succumb to COVID or COVID-related complications.
The former minister was an influential leader in West Bengal's Jungle Mahal area for the Trinamool Congress. Senior politicians, including those from the opposition parties, condoled Hansda's death. "He was a helpful cabinet minister when I was Nalhati MLA," said Abhijit Mukherjee of the Congress.
A block development officer of Mandirbazar block of Howrah also succumbed to COVID this morning. Syed Ahmad, 56, was admitted at M.R. Bangur hospital in Kolkata. He was a diabetic.
Another police officer died this morning at a private hospital in Kolkata. Anindyo Basu, 55, of Nodakhali police station had been admitted to a private hospital on October 12. He died this morning. He was also having several comorbid complications, said the West Bengal administration.
With the deaths of the two officials, the total deaths crossed more than 50 on Thursday.
On October 23, the Sitalkuchi block development officer in Cooch Behar district, Wangdi Gyalpo Bhutia died of COVID-19, too.
COVID cases have been rising steadily in Bengal since Durga Puja. The daily tally was touching more than 4,000 cases for about a week—Wednesday being the sole exception.
The number of tests, too, have gone down significantly. While a fortnight back, Bengal used to test around 45,000, on Thursday, the number hovered around 42,000. "This is very surprising given that most of the states are testing more than 1 lakh per day. Look at the whopping numbers of Assam and Bihar who are testing a good number of people. We are mishandling the situation," said an eminent doctor of Kolkata.