BHUBANESWAR: Odisha recorded a further dip in
Covid-19 cases on Sunday with a fresh single-day infection count of 2,019 in the last 24 hours. This is the lowest one-day rise in
Covid cases in the state in one-and-a-half months.
Fourteen more persons died of Covid, taking the death toll to 1,135 in the state. The new cases have taken the total infection count in the state to 2,68,364, of which 22,949 are active ones and 2,44,227 have recovered so far. Among the new deaths, four were from Bhubaneswar in Khurda district where the total number of deaths touched 117. Of the rest, two each were from Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts and one each from Mayurbhanj, Puri, Dhenakanl, Kandhamal, Balangir and Sambalpur districts.
Among the fresh cases, altogether 1,168 were in quarantine and 851 cases were from local contacts. Khurda continued to witness the maximum number of fresh cases (283) followed by 150 in Cuttack, 129 in Angul and 111 in Mayurbhanj. The number of cases in the districts has started falling, much to the relief of the state government.
“The pandemic is on the wane, but complacency can lead to another wave as has been witnessed in some European countries. With the rise in Covid deaths in the state, it seems the fight against corona is far from over. There is no chance of complacency as the festive season is around the corner and people must be extra careful and strictly follow the Covid-19 guidelines so that the number of cases will be in control,” Dr Ashok Mohapatra, vice chancellor of SOA and former director of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, said.
In the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which have become Covid hotspots, the number of cases has also reduced with 233 and 71 fresh infection count, respectively, on Sunday. To ensure social distancing and enforcement of the Covid norms, police conducted raids on Market Building, one of the busiest markets in the city, on Sunday. On Sunday, as many as 2,610 Covid-19 patients recovered of corona and were discharged from hospital. This included the highest number of recoveries (438) from Khurda followed by 204 from Cuttack, 171 from Sundargarh, 148 from Angul, 119 from Jajpur and 113 from Balasore.