West Bengal fixes COVID-19 test charges in private hospitals at Rs 2,250

Kolkata, June 26: The West Bengal government on Friday capped the price of coronavirus treatment in private hospitals in the state and restricted the cost of testing to Rs 2,250. It also said that the cost of PPE kits should not exceed Rs 1,000 each day.

The COVID-19 toll in the state crossed 600 on Thursday, rising to 606 with the deaths of 15 people, and the case count increased by 475 to 15,648, while the total number of discharged patients crossed the 10,000 mark.

Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, and Howrah, which form the epicentre of the disease in the state, reported the bulk of the latest deaths and infections, with nine deaths and 322 new cases. South 24 Parganas and Darjeeling recorded two deaths each, while one patient each died in Uttar Dinajpur, and Paschim Medinipur.

The fatality rate in the state has consistently declined since June 11, when it was 4.52 per cent.