West Bengal launches "COVID warrior club", here's all you need to know about it

Amid Bengal's rising Coronavirus (COVID-19) spikes, CM Mamata Banerjee, on Monday introduced a 'COVID Warrior club', while addressing a press conference. She said that the government has found 60 people who have been cured of the virus in Behrampur, who will comprise the first club and soon there will clubs across the state. She added that these members will voluntarily make people aware of the treatment of Coronavirus and will be provided a stipend for doing so.

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Bengal govt introduces 'COVID Warrior Club'

"We are starting a Covid Warrior Club. It will have recovered patients. We are starting with Behrampur where we have found 60 individuals who have been cured of Covid," she said adding," They will do voluntary service and make people aware of the fact Covid can be cured. They will be given a stipend". The Bengal government is also planning to produce three crore masks that will be distributed to school children and front-line workers.

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ICMR: 14% of Kolkata have anti-bodies

In a startling revelation, ICMR's serosurvey study conducted in Kolkata has found that over 14 per cent of Kolkata residents have developed COVID-19 antibodies. According to senior doctors, the survey indicated that the transmission is high in the metropolis, which is far from developing herd immunity or antibodies to combat COVID-19. In neighbouring South 24-Parganas district, it is 2.5 per cent while it is 1 per cent in Alipurduar district, the survey said while less than 1 per cent of antibody positivity rates have been found in districts of Purba Medinipore, Bankura and Jhargram.

The survey was conducted on the basis of random samples but the sample size was not mentioned. Currently, BMC is preparing to undertake large-scale sero surveillance in three wards M-west, F-North and R-North, testing 10,000 random samples in non-slum areas. Delhi has already started a similar survey with 20,000 samples. 

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Bengal's COVID crisis

Bengal has been embroiled in a tussle with the Centre over the inter-ministerial central teams' visit, testing kits, PPEs and the number of COVID deaths. While Banerjee accused ICMR of sending defective testing kits, ICMR rebuked Bengal to report correct number of COVID deaths as Bengal was excluding deaths due to co-morbidities. Currently, Bengal has extended its lockdown as its tally touched 17,283, while the toll mounted to 639.

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