Odisha: 182 local Covid-19 cases in 15 days

BHUBANESWAR: The state has recorded 182 local Covid-19 cases — that is, people who were not in any kind of quarantine or isolation when they tested positive for the coronavirus — between June 1 and June 15. This implies the source of infection in these patients is not clear.
The high number of local cases indicates that the virus may have spread from primary contacts of identified patients to others in the community.
As per government data, the highest number of local cases — 29 — were reported on June 12, followed by 18 cases on June 14. In May, hardly any local cases were reported.
In case of Covid cases being reported from among people who are already under quarantine, it is easy to trace the source of infection. Most of the quarantined patients picked up the infection in other states. Their close contacts can also be easily traced.
Local cases, termed ‘secondary contacts’, are people who are suspected to have contracted the disease from primary contacts.
A health expert TOI spoke to said there was no need to press the panic button yet. “Till June 15, the state recorded 4,055 cases. Nearly 5 per cent of these are local cases,” said Binod Patro, associate professor of community medicine at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
“Had the local cases been found in one or two localities, that would have been worrying as it would have confirmed community spread. But these cases are spread out widely. Things are still very much under control. If more local cases come up, the government will have to take more aggressive steps to screen people,” he explained.
The government has already ordered door-to-door surveillance campaign to map the health of each individual. The surveillance will run till the end of July and is expected to help reduce local cases.
Two days ago, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation formed Sachetak teams for deployment across the city to generate awareness on Covid-19.
The Sachetak teams, each having 30 members, will visit all the 67 wards of the corporation and teach people how to wear a mask and gloves and maintain hand hygiene. The teams have been given kits containing 25 masks and an equal number of hand gloves for demonstration.
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