Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Saturday reported 4,852 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hrs, while 47 more succumbed to the virus in the same duration.
The state also reported a record 47 deaths in past 24 hours, pushing the covid fatalities in the state to 3,257 while daily case load declined to less than 5000-mark after a gap of almost 42 days.
Health and family Welfare department sources said for the first time a record 47 covid deaths were reported in the state in a single day on Friday, the last highest of 45 deaths being reported on June 7 last.
The fresh 47 deaths were reported from 17 districts with Khordha registering highest number of six followed by 5 in Cuttack and four each in Angul and Bargarh districts.
Three each succumbed to the virus in six districts and two each in three districts while one each died in four other districts in the past 24 hours.
For the first time after a gap of nearly 42 days, the daily covid toll has come down to less than 5000 mark, the last being 4851 reported on April 20 last.
Health and Family Welfare department sources said in the past 24 hours 4852 new infection cases were reported from all the 30 districts in the state.They included 2765 from the quarantine centres and 2087 local contact cases.
Half of the 30 districts in the state registered less than 100 new covid positive cases in the past 24 hours. Khordha recorded the highest number of 649 cases followed by Cuttack ( 505),Jajpur ( 382), Balasore ( 364) Kendrapara ( 287),Angul (275) an Puri (237).
Sources said out of 65,635 tests conducted in the state on Friday, 4852(7.39 percent) tested covid positive.
Aa many as 13 districts in the state mostly from Western Odisha and Southern Odisha have witnessed total positivity rate below 5 percent.
While ten districts have the TPR between 5 to 10 percent, Seven districts have the TPR above 10 percent,the highest being 20.8 reported in Jajpur district followed by 13.9 in Cuttack distict.
On the other hand Jharsuguda district has the lowest TPR of 1.3 percent and Nuapada district reported 1.4 percent. Incidentally both the districts are in Western Odisha.
Till midnight of June 11, as many as 1,25,23,241 tests have been conducted in the state and 8,47,241 of the found infected with the coronavirus of which already 7,81,488 have already been recovered from the virus.
Since May 23 last the state has been witnessing more recoveries than the daily covid positive cases
The active cases have further reduced to 62,515 in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a further package of Rs.25 crore for covid management in Western Odisha which has, showing a remarkable dip in the daily covid cases registering less than five percent positivity rate.
Mr.Patnaik also dedicated medical equipment worth Rs.25 crore purchased by the Western Odisha development Council ( WODC) for treatment of covid patients in eleven western odisha districts.
According to the CM’ s office sources ventilators, oxy metres,auto analysers,oxygen pipe lines and Blood count analysers have been purchased for the Western Odisha districts to further strengthen the fight against the covid pandemic.
With the steady decline in the covid cases and the TPR plummeting to below 5 percent mostly in Western Odisha and Southern Odisha districts, the speculations are rife that the the government might consider the unlock in these districts next week.
The lock down in the entire state has been extended till June 17 along with the weekend shut down.
The government is all likely to review the covid situation after the famous Raja festival and decide whether the lock down will be lifted in some districts having less than 5 percent TPR and extended in other districts where the TPR is above 10 percent.
Keeping in view of the three day Raja festival in the state, the government has sealed all the exit and entry points in some major towns and cities, mostly in Coastal odisha and in some places the district administration is contemplating to clamp prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC to prevent the gatherings during the Raja festival.