Bhubaneswar: Covid positive  cases in Odisha    have witnessed  a dip  in the last   three days as 10,557 new infections   were reported in the  state  in the last 24 hours.  Health and Family Welfare department sources  said  the  covid +ve  cases which  reached a  record  12,390  on  May 13 last  have started  declining  gradually  over the last three days. Out of 10,557 new cases reported  from  30 districts in the state  in the past  24 hours,6024 
 were registered from  quarantine  centres and the rest 4733 are local contact cases.
    The  Corona virus claimed  another 22  lives on  Sunday  taking the total  fatalities in the state to 2335 while the covid tally surged to 6,22,981 with 5,14532 recoveries.  The  Active cases continued to remain  over one lakh  since May 12 but  showing a  marginal  decline in the   figure today with 106061 from 107403 reported  on Sunday.  Official sources said  Khordha district which all along for the past several days  witnessing  a 
 highest  number of covid positive cases   of over 1500  every day and  surpassed  2000 mark on  May 12  last  ,today  reported  909  while  Cuttack  occupied the  top position  with 973 new cases  and Sundargarh  district remained  third position with  832 new cases in the past 24 hours.
For the  first time  during the  month today, no district  in the  state  crossed  the  daily infection mark  of 1000. Barring  Kandhamal  district which  registered only  87  new cases, all the rest 29 districts reported  over 100  cases, nine of them   however, registered  over 400  cases.
 Out of  22  fatalities reported in the state in the past  24 hours,  three  each  died in  Sundargarh,  Khordha ,Boudh,  Koraput, Nuapada and Rayagada  ,two in Angul and  one each in  Gajapati  and  Puri district.
Sources said   out of 30 districts- Khordha,Ganjam , Sundargarh, Cuttack and  Puri districts   have  reported maximum  number of positive cases, active cases and  also covid deaths.   Khordha  district topped the list with 95,883 covid positive cases,15529 active cases and  411  covid  deaths.
    Meanwhile,  in the wake of  black fungus reported in one of the covid patients which later  succumbed to the  disease, the state  government has constituted an expert committee of  seven  health experts  to monitor the  incidence of mucormycosis  in covid patients  admitted  to different  hospitals  and  management of such cases. All government medical  colleges  were asked to  constitute an expert committee for coordination, diagnosis and management of such cases and create  facilities for detection 
 and management of such cases.   All other  hospitals in the state  were also asked to report the  admission of  any case of   mucormycosis and continue  the treatment.
In view of the possibility of increased incidence of Covid-19 cases in the pediatric population  in future and to consolidate the preparedness for management of Covid-19 in this group, a eight member committee is constituted with experts and senior medical officials.  The  committee will suggest the preparedness  and augmentation of infrastructure  in the 
 hospital  and  formulate  standard operating procedure (SOP) for management of  covid 19   in the pediatric  population and report to the  government.  Meanwhile,the State health department  has issued an advisory on Sunday to both the private  and government Covid-19 treatment facilities to establish dedicated help desks with immediate 
 effect.    The government also  directed the private hospitals to reserve 50 per cent of the total general  bed and 80 percent of ICU in five Municipal Corporation areas and 10  per cent of the total beds  in case of other districts.    The  state  government  has stipulated  that each dedicated Covid care centers or hospitals shall mandatorily establish a dedicated help desk to function 24 x 7  The help desk must have a dedicated telephone preferably a toll free number and the toll-free  help line number of the help desk must be intimated to the State level authorized officer who is 
 also  the  Additional DMET Odisha.  Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has thanked the  dedicated medical professionals  for their hard 
 work  as Odisha  has recorded  more than  five lakh  recoveries  in the  fight against the  covid 19  pandemic.  Taking to the twitter, Mr.Patnaik said ‘Salute to our  covid warriors for achieving  this  milestone”.