Odisha on May 7 recorded a steep rise in daily COVID-19 cases with 12,238 persons testing positive for coronavirus – a jump of 16.31% in new cases in a day.
This is the first time since the onset of the pandemic that Odisha has crossed the 12,000 mark. On May 6, 10,521 persons were recorded infected. Alarmingly, the test positivity rate has jumped to 24.09% after the State tested 50,799 persons in past 24 hours.
Cumulatively, total cases in the State increased to 5,12,400 following the jump on May 7. As a matter of concern, total active cases also swelled to 86,950.
Sundargarh, a district in northern Odisha sharing its border with Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, on May 7 recorded the highest number of cases at 2,073, followed by Khordha, at 1,828 cases. Cases in Cuttack are also rapidly rising. It reported 916 cases.
High number of cases continued to be reported from some districts in western Odisha such as Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir and Nuapada.
As far as active cases are concerned, Khordha remained the worst affected district where close to 15,000 people were either in home isolation or recuperating in hospitals.
19 persons succumbed to COVID-19 cases taking the death toll to 2,140 on May 7. Four persons each lost their battle against COVID-19 in Sundargarh and Khordha districts.
SOP for Tocillizumab
Meanwhile, Odisha government has issued a standard operating procedure for the requisition of Tocillizumab drug, used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
“Tocillizumab may be considered in patients with moderate disease with progressively increasing oxygen requirement and in mechanically ventilated patients not improving despite the use of steroids,” the government instructed district collectors and chief district medical officers.
The State government is currently enforcing COVID-19 lockdown and weekend shutdown to break the chain of infection. It is particularly worried about the emergence of a new and more virulent strain (N440K) of coronavirus in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The government recently put strict restriction on movement of people into Odisha from A.P.by sealing its border. All those coming from A.P. and Telangana have to undergo mandatory institutional isolation for 14 days in government-designated quarantine centre.
