Covid cases rise in Kolkata as 2 more test positive across age groups

KOLKATA: Two more people tested positive for Covid in Kolkata on Monday - a 65-year-old woman and a 9-month-old child - indicating a spread across age groups. A 15-year-old boy tested positive at a private hospital on Saturday, while a 70-year-old tested positive at another private facility on Sunday. The fresh cases bring the active case count to 14 in city and surroundings.Since May 19, when the spike began following the spread of the Jn1 Covid variant, 13 people have tested positive. However, the specific strain infecting the Kolkata patients is yet to be confirmed. Both the 65-year-old woman and the 9-month-old child tested positive at Calcutta Medical College Hospital. The child is now admitted to the hospital's paediatric unit, while the woman is also under treatment and is reported to be stable.So far, most Kolkata patients who have tested positive suffer from comorbidities. While the current spike is believed to be caused by the Jn1 variant, four cases of the LF7 variant and a case of the NB181 variant were recently detected in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, respectively, by the Neeri Environmental Epidemiology and Pandemic Management. The latter has been identified as a reference laboratory for tracking Covid variants in India by the WHO.The two newly identified Covid variants show potential for increased transmissibility or immune evasion, according to Debanu Das, emergency head at BP Poddar Hospital. "Basic safety protocols such as wearing masks, hand hygiene and avoiding crowded places should be followed. While there is currently no need for panic, we must not let our guard down," added Das.Until May 19, Bengal had just one active case. At least two private hospitals and a nursing home have admitted 12 Covid-positive patients since then. While six are admitted at Apollo Multispecialty Hospital, a 15-year-old boy is admitted at Peerless Hospital, and another patient is admitted at a Kankurgachhi nursing home. A patient admitted to another private hospital was discharged on Saturday. "The count may keep rising for some more time, so we need to follow Covid protocol in a limited way. The spurt in Kolkata is still not alarming, but the strain needs to be identified. With the number of positives rising in several parts of the country, the Kolkata count is bound to go up. Unless we know the strain, we can't be sure if this is part of the wave that originated in Southeast Asia," said an internal medicine consultant.