Covid-19: Highest spike of 1,078 cases takes Odisha count to 19,835
Picture used for representational purpose only
BHUBANESWAR: In the highest single day spike so far, 1078 persons tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday increasing total number of positive cases in state to 19,835. Six more persons died of the viral infection mounting Covid death toll in state to 109.
The death of Karunakar Raika, 55, additional district magistrate (ADM) of Gajapati on Tuesday was due to the Covid-19, the district administration confirmed on Wednesday. He is the first senior bureaucrat in state to have died of Covid-19.
The other new deaths include three from Ganjam, men aged 60 and 61 and a woman aged 40 increasing death toll in the district to 62. Besides, a 70-year-old man from Gajapati and an 86-year-old man from Kandhamal also died of Covid-19. Another man (59) from Ganjam district, who had tested positive for Covid-19, died due to chronic liver disease mounting number of deaths of Covid patients due to non-Covid reasons to 31.
The health department updates showed the worst hit Ganjam witnessed its highest one day spurt with 371 cases while Rayagada district too had its worst so far with 96 positive cases. Other districts reporting very high number of positive cases include Khurda (121), Malkangiri (66), Jagatsinghpur (35), Jharsuguda (34) and Bargarh (26).
Jayant Panda, governments technical adviser on the pandemic, said the rise in number of cases was not unexpected because the number of tests has gone up. This is not a cause of worry. Our recovery rate is very high, he said. The focus is on patient requiring critical care support. While 3% require oxygen support, 2% require ICU and of them less than 1% require ventilator, Panda said.
Govt to set up plasma bank in Rourkela
The government said 440 more patients recovered from the infections increasing number of cured patients to 13,749. The new recoveries include the highest 83 from Khurda besides Ganjam (68), Balasore (49) and Malkangiri (40).
With spurt in positive cases, various district administrations tightened curbs. The Rayagada district administration announced a weeklong lockdown in the district from Thursday. The Bargarh district administration announced shutdown in Bargarh sub-division, Sohela tehsil besides Padampur and Bijepur towns from Thursday 9 pm till July 31.
Meanwhile, the government announced to start a plasma bank in Ispat General Hospital (IGH), Rourkela which will supply plasma to Covid patients in various western Odisha districts.
After chief minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the pandemic situation in Sundargarh and Jajpur districts, a government statement said Naveen announced Rs 5 crore each for the two districts from Chief Ministers Relief Fund. Besides, the two districts will spend from District Mineral Foundation (DMF). Sundargarh district, which has already spent Rs 20 crore from DMF, will spend Rs 15 crore more in the next three months for strengthening of Covid hospital and care centres.