Post-Christmas, Kolkata sees spurt in COVID-19 cases
The Hindu
Many say that celebrations on Park Street may have contributed to spike
There is a sudden spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases in Kolkata post-Christmas, sparking fears of yet another wave that may overwhelm the city’s health infrastructure.
Before the countdown began for Christmas celebrations, the city recorded around 200 new cases a day, a figure that has now shot up to almost 400. On December 21, for example, the whole of West Bengal reported 440 new cases, with Kolkata accounting for 177 of them. On December 28, these figures stood at 752 and 382 respectively.
“We were expecting it. It will turn into a wave — we also know that. It’s the size of the wave and the impact it will have on healthcare infrastructure, both government and private, that remains to be seen. Omicron is known to be less severe, but if a very large number of people gets infected, a portion of them will get admitted to hospitals and that is the number we are waiting to see,” said leading ENT specialist Dr. Arjun Dasgupta.