BHUBANESWAR:  The Covid tally in the State Capital crossed the 400 mark - the last 100 cases coming in just five days - with 45 more people testing positive in last 24 hours along with two deaths. It is the biggest single day spike in the City till date.

The Capital which reported the last 100 cases between June 30 and July 4, saw a 51-year-old pleural tuberculosis patient and a 64-year-old diabetes patient succumbing to the virus on the day, taking the fatalities to six.

Of the 45 cases reported today, eight cases were local contacts while 37 were from home quarantines. The local cases came from Baramunda, Kedar Gouri, Salia Sahi, Khandagiri, Dumduma, Old Town-Jambeswar Patna, Unit-IV MLA Colony and Chandrasekharpur. So far, source of infection in five cases reported from Kedar Gouri, Salia Sahi, Dumduma, Old Town and Unit -IV in the last 24 hours is yet to be ascertained.

Similarly, home quarantine cases are from Nuagaon containment zone and nine workers of an industrial unit at Mancheswar where 38 labourers had tested positive till Friday. Besides, four persons from a Central Government hospital, three from a private hospital, another three from Mancheswar area and one each from Chandrasekharpur, Aiginia, Satya Nagar, Saheed Nagar, Hanspal, Chakeisiani, Unit - IV, Laxmisagar, Ashok Nagar and Old Town.

All, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation said, were in home quarantine. With the fresh cases, the Covid-19 tally has touched 414 which include 160 active cases and 247 recoveries. The last 200 cases have taken ten days whereas the first 200 were reported over 101 days. 

“We have home quarantined all the primary contacts of the infected persons. Contract tracing is continuing to ascertain the source of infection of local contacts,” BMC officials said. Meanwhile, sources said two BMC engineers and a driver tested positive for the virus. The civic body has closed down a portion of the office, where they were working, temporarily to disinfect it.