Kandhamal takes just 13 days to reach 2,000-mark

Berhampur: The total number of Covid-19 positive patients in Kandhamal breached the 2,000-mark on Wednesday with the detection of 41 new cases in the tribal-dominated district. Officials said while this has taken the infection count in the district to 2006, the death toll remains seven.
The first positive case in Kandhamal was recorded on May 18, when a person who had returned from Tamil Nadu had tested positive for the virus.The district had become free of coronavirus on July 3 when all the active persons were discharged after recovery. But its positive cases had shot past 1,000 on August 13. The district had also registered a record single-day spike of 127 cases on the same day.
It added another 1,000 cases in the last 13 days. “Door-to-door survey conducted by health teams to detect the suspected Covid-19 patients and making them undergo tests subsequently, has led to an increase in the positive cases,” a senior official said.
Sources said that the rapid antigen test and collection of swab samples were going on in full swing at the village-level in the district. They added that of the new cases detected in the district, 23 were males and 18 females. While 22 positive cases were detected from the containment zones and following contact tracing, one was identified as a Covid warriors. Similarly, 16 cases were detected from the local areas. The other two cases were from outside the district, the sources said.
The fresh cases were detected from different blocks, including Phulbani (17), Daringibadi (2), Tikabali (4), Kotagarh (4), Tumudibandh (2), Chakapada (1) and Phiringia (1) and K. Nuagoan (1), Khajuripada (2) and two others. “Most of the cases are asymptomatic and the district administration has allowed them to remain in home isolation,” district collector Brundha D said.