Odisha coronavirus fatality inches closer to 100 with seven more deaths

BHUBANESWAR: With seven more Covid-19 patients succumbing in the last 24 hours, the death toll in the State touched 91. The fatality is on the steady rise, especially in Ganjam district which accounted for 45 deaths. Six persons, all men - four from Ganjam and one each from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, died of Covid-19 and another 17-year-old boy of Ganjam district who had tested positive for coronavirus succumbed to terminal lung cancer.

The Health and Family Welfare department, however, attributed 70 deaths to Covid and 21 others to comorbidities. Both Covid and non-Covid deaths have been reported from 12 districts and only non-Covid deaths from four other districts. Apart from Ganjam, Khurda and Cuttack have also registered 15 and 10 deaths, including 10 and 7 due to Covid respectively. Five persons in Khurda and three in Cuttack succumbed to other underlying diseases. Among other districts, two Covid deaths were recorded in Puri and one each in Bhadrak, Angul, Bargarh, Gajapati, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Rayagada and Sundargarh. Two each non-Covid deaths were reported from Ganjam, Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj and one each from Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Puri, Nabarangpur and Sundargarh.

The State also registered 616 new positive cases from 23 districts taking the tally to 13,737. The fresh cases included 415 from quarantine and 201 local contacts. While maximum 283 cases were from Ganjam, 29 were from Khurda and 23 from Cuttack. For the first time, 50 cases have been detected from tribaldominated Koraput district and 40 from Nabarangpur. Western Odisha district Bargarh reported 31 cases. Odisha has added 10,014 cases and 81 deaths in the last one month. Till June 13, 3,723 positive cases and 10 deaths were reported. In an encouraging development, 505 patients, including highest 248 from Ganjam, 71 from Sundargarh, 52 from Khurda and 45 from Cuttack have recovered on Monday. With this, total 9,255 patients have recovered so far. The number of active cases stands at 4,391.

‘Ensure medical services for needy’

Following reports that patients were being denied treatment in some non-Covid hospitals, the State Government has asked all healthcare institutions to ensure necessary medical services to the needy. In a directive, the Health department stated that emergency procedure should not be delayed or deferred over Covid-19 scare and no patient will be denied lifethreatening emergency procedure or treatment on grounds of suspicion of infection.