Recovery figures now more than number of fresh COVID cases in WB in a day: Mamata
She also said the spike in the cases of coronavirus infection in the state was due to the arrival of people from hotspot areas outside West Bengal.
"The number of new cases is less than that of people discharged. This is a good sign," the chief minister told reporters at the secretariat.
On Wednesday, the state reported 391 new COVID-19 cases while 505 people were declared to have been cured of the disease.
The numbers of fresh cases and recovered patients on Tuesday were 415 and 534 respectively. The same trend was also witnessed on the previous day with 407 people testing positive and 434 being discharged following recovery.
The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal reached 506 on Wednesday with 11 more fatalities, while the total number of cases reported in the state so far rose to 506.
After a meeting at the secretariat, the chief minister said, "Till date, 12 lakh migrants have returned. Three to four more trains are yet to reach. Some people are returning from hotspot areas and that has increased the COVID-19 numbers in the state."
She said her government has set up 104 "safe homes" to treat COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms.
"We have set up 104 safe home centres. This is for those cases with mild symptoms or mild fever. This will reduce the load from hospitals," she said.
The state health department has identified 341 blocks to build such safe homes, a senior official had said on Saturday. Each safe home will have one doctor, a few nurses and healthcare workers who will check on the health of its inmates twice a day.
Banerjee also said the COVID-19 warriors who are pursuing post-graduation will get 10 per cent incentive in marks for each year.
"Interns will work on a rotational basis so that their academic career does not suffer. They will get COVID warrior certificates," she added.
The state government is also working on a process to provide real-time updates of availability of COVID-19 beds, Banerjee said. SCH NN RDM RDM