Covid-19: Odisha records highest single day spike with 83 cases

BHUBANESWAR: In the highest ever single day spike in cases, 83 patients have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state on Sunday. With this the total number of cases jumped to 377 in Odisha. The deadly virus spread to two districts of Angul and Boudh with maiden cases and returned to Puri, taking the number of affected districts to 21. The Covid-19 disease claimed one more life, rising the death toll to three.
Of the 83 new cases, 80 of them returned from different states including 63 from Surat, 11 from West Bengal, five from Karnataka and one from Maharashtra.All the cases were detected from quarantine centres. From the rest, two are from Jajpur and contacts of West Bengal returnees and one is a local resident of Angul.
As many as 36 new cases detected in Ganjam district taking the district tally to 125, highest in the state. Fifteen positive cases reported from Angul and three cases from Boudh district for the first time. Besides, 15 cases tested positive from Balasore, six from Bhadrak, five from Jajpur and one in Mayurbhanj. The Covid-19 retuned to Puri, which has become green zone, with two positive cases after a gap of five weeks.
A seven member team led by director of health services with representatives from World Health Organisation (WHO) and Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) has been sent to Ganjam for strengthening containment, surveillance and medical response. MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur is also supplementing the local administration, official sources said.
“The situation in Ganjam is under control. Those tested positive were all staying in quarantine centres. They are among the migrant workers returned from different states. We have imposed section 144 of CRPC near quarantine centres to prevent anyone from visiting the centres and requesting people to strictly maintain social distancing to check further spread of the disease,” said Ganjam collector Vijay Amruta Kuange.
Angul collector Manoj Kumar Mohanty said, all fifteen cases have been shifted from quarantine centres to COVID Hospital now for treatment. Majority of them are from Athamallik area while other cases are from Chhendiapada, Pallahara, Banarpal and Angul. “There is nothing to panic. Angul will remain a green zone as the positive cases were from quarantine centres. We already have started contact tracing of the local person who had been to Bhubaneswar a few days back,” Mohanty added.
As many as 4700 migrant labourers reached Odisha in four trains while more than 55,000 migrant labourers have already arrived in the state in the last fe days, leading to a sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases.
Development commissioner Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and 5T secretary V K Pandian visited dedicated Odisha Covid Hospital in Puri and reviewed the Covid-19 preparedness, law and order situation, resumption of livelihood and agricultural activities in the district earlier on the day.
(With inputs from Jagadananda Pradhan from Angul)