A 48-year-old patient died at the state-run Infectious Disease (ID) Hospital, Beliaghata, within four days of being admitted.

He was supposed to be suffering from Covid.

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One more death recorded unofficially on Monday takes the fresh cases to 54 in West Bengal during the last 24 hours.

With these new cases, the state recorded 747 patients this year since January.

The health department sources at Swasthya Bhaban denied the report of Covid death at the ID Hospital. The patient had several other severe comorbidities that had aggravated his death and not the novel coronavirus only, the sources said requesting anonymity.

The state recently recorded its first coronavirus death of the season after a 43-year-old woman from Howrah succumbed to the disease on Tuesday in a private hospital in the Ekbalpur area. She was brought to the hospital about one week ago showing symptoms of bacterial pneumonia and undergoing treatment there with life-support systems like ventilators. She was tested Covid-19 positive at the hospital.

The patient had several comorbidities like cardiac and kidney ailments. Her condition deteriorated during the past 48 hours, according to the hospital sources.

Following the steep rise in the number of Covid patients across states, the health ministry has issued guidelines advising people to avoid crowded areas like marketplaces and stay away from handshaking.

The ministry has also cautioned people to use masks and sanitisers regularly.

The state health department at Swasthya Bhaban in Salt Lake is yet to issue any official release in connection with Covid-19-affected cases and total number of patients admitted to hospitals though the deadly viral disease has been extending its network regularly.

As the number of affected patients shoots up the health department has reportedly directed all state-run healthcare facilities starting from medical colleges, district hospitals and state general hospitals, particularly where COVID treatment units with isolation wards, indoor beds, critical care units (CCU) with adequate number of ventilators and oxygen support system had been arranged during the pandemic.