Covid-19: Khurda records 1,408 new cases as Odisha tally goes beyond 8,000

BHUBANESWAR: For the second time in three days, Odisha reported more than 8,000 Covid cases as the total infected reached 4,44,194 in the state. On Friday, the state registered 8,681 fresh infections with Khurda accounting for 1408 cases. Fourteen more patients succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 2043. In the past one week 70 patients have died.
The state’s positivity rate stood at 19% as 8,681 returned positive from 45,452 samples tested. However, Odisha’s test sample per positive person has come down from 24 to 23. This means that out of 23 people tested, one is returning positive. Neighbouring Bihar, meanwhile, is testing 70 samples per positive case.
The situation is extremely vulnerable in 10 western Odisha districts close to Chhattisgarh, where cases have been rising in alarming proportions. Sambalpur continued to lead the state in positivity rate of 46% with 410 returning positive out of 888 samples tested. On Thursday, 323 had returned positive from 677 samples tested, a positivity rate of 47%.
Bargarh district, which reported 423 cases out of 1268 samples tested, registered a positivity rate of 33%. Balangir with 1899 samples tested has 24% positivity rate, having reported 459 cases. Sundargarh registered a positivity of 38% with 745 returning positive out of 1912 samples tested.
The situation is not much better in coastal Odisha. Districts like Puri, Jajpur and Nayagarh are witnessing huge surge. Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur, too, are reporting cases in double digits. While Khurda leads with maximum positive cases, 11,017, Sundargarh comes second with 6,151. The state now has 60,337 active positive cases. Around 4,679 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours.