West Bengal COVID-19 death toll crosses 300-mark with 7 more fatalities; total cases 4,813

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West Bengal reported seven more COVID-19 fatalities on Friday, pushing the death toll due to the disease in the state beyond the 300-mark, while 277 new cases were registered during the day, according to a health department bulletin. Of the total 302 deaths, 72 were due to comorbidities and the novel coronavirus was "incidental" in these cases, it said.

Since Thursday, two deaths each were reported from Kolkata and its neighbouring Howrah district. One fatality each was registered in South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts, the bulletin said. West Bengal has a total of 4,813 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far, of which 2,736 are active.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the rise in the number of cases on the influx of migrant labourers from COVID-19 hotspot states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, four persons at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital -- two in the gynaecology ward and two in the medicine ward -- tested positive for the virus, sources said.

Around 10 personnel from the Kolkata Police combat force also tested positive for the infection, they added. Since Thursday afternoon, 9,282 samples were tested in the state, and the total rose to 1,85,051, the bulletin said. Kolkata accounted for the maximum number of fresh cases at 71, followed by 54 from North 24 Parganas district. Twenty-nine cases were reported from Howrah and 23 from North Dinajpur districts, it said.

Twenty-one people from Birbhum tested positive for COVID-19 infection, East Burdwan accounted for 19 cases, Nadia 18, South 24 Parganas 13, East Medinipore six, West Burdwan five, Alipurduar four and two each from Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Hooghly and Bankura districts, the bulletin said.

Six new cases of COVID-19 infection were also found among people from other states, it added.

The districts of North Dinajpur, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas have been witnessing a massive influx of migrants labourers. "We were successful in controlling the spread of COVID in last two months, but now it is increasing as a lot of people are coming from outside. Railways are sending migrants in jam-packed compartments. In one seat, three-four persons are travelling. The railways in the name of Shramik Special trains are running 'corona express'," the fiesty TMC boss said.

Meanwhile, over a hundred people were discharged from a hospital in West Bengal's Howrah district on Friday after they recovered from COVID-19.