BHUBANESWAR : Odisha saw a big spike in new Covid cases as 73 people tested positive in last 24 hours pushing the active cases to cross 300. This was the highest single-day tally since April. The cases went up by around 40 per cent (pc) during the period as 53 cases were reported the previous day. After the third wave led by Omicron subsided by the end of March, the State had been registering less than 20 cases till early June barring May 8 when 71 people were found positive for coronavirus.
The State is witnessing a steady rise in fresh infections for the last one fortnight. Of the fresh cases spread across nine districts, 11 were in the 0-18 years age group. While 44 were in quarantine, 29 were local contacts. With 41 cases, Khurda accounted for 55 per cent (pc) of the caseload, followed by six each from Puri and Nuapada, four from Cuttack and three from Sundargarh.
The daily test positivity rate (TPR) also soared to 0.51 pc from 0.45 pc a day before. The TPR was 3.66 pc in Khurda, 2.56 pc in Puri and 1.16 pc in Nuapada. Health authorities attributed the spike to rising testing levels. Director of Public Health Dr Niranjan Mishra said the number of tests rose to over 14,000 from a range of 10,000. “There is no reason to panic as the situation is under control. The State government will implement further containment measures at the right moment,” he added.
However, the rise in infections in pilgrim town Puri ahead of Rath Yatra has become a headache for the Health authorities as the State government has decided to allow devotees to take part in the annual event, which was out of bounds for people for last two years due to the pandemic.
The Health department has ramped up vaccination in the district in a bid to cover all age-appropriate people due for second and precautionary doses before Rath Yatra. The active cases stood at 330 after recovery of 24 patients.