<span style="color: #222222;">In West Bengal, the number of new COVID cases is again on the rise with 976 fresh cases and 15 fatalities in the past 24 hours. Kolkata reported 272 new cases of COVID-19 while North 24 Parganas recorded 159 cases. Over 43,000 tests have been conducted during this period and the positivity rate is 2.25 per cent.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The State Health Department has created multiple micro containment zones across districts to check the transmission of the virus and decided to upgrade the infrastructure in the hospitals, particularly in the districts where COVID infection is on the rise.</span>