Active Tally Crosses 200: Which Variant Pushing COVID Cases In Odisha?

Bhubaneswar: A day after reporting 25 new COVID infections, the daily caseload inched closer to 40 again, taking the active tally to 202 on Saturday.

The state had witnessed a spike on Thursday when 41 people were found infected with the virus after 22, 23, 12, 19, 24, 20 and 31 infections being reported in the last seven days.

According to the I & PR department, 38 new cases have been detected in the last 24 hours. Among them, 23 are from quarantine and15 local contacts. These cases have been detected in 3 of the 30 districts. Khurda has been witnessing a spike in fresh cases from one on May 31 to 27 on Saturday.

Here are the district-wise figures of the new cases:

1. Cuttack: 2
2. Khurda: 27
3. Puri: 3

Besides, 6 from the state pool.

With these cases being detected from 13,437 samples, the test positivity rate (TPR) stood at 0.28 per cent.

Odisha’s share is 2.99% in the country’s confirmed virus caseload while the active cases are 1.27% of the total active cases.

Though the state is yet to see a concerning spike, the daily numbers are slowly rising with cases being reported in two digits for the last nine days. Odisha has seen three new cases on May 31. However, no new variant or sub-variant of SARS-CoV2 has emerged from the state. The samples sequenced recently were detected with the BA.2 variant known as Omicron. The samples collected from a recent cluster in a hostel in Cuttack district, however, are yet to be sequenced, sources said.

On Friday, the government had appealed to people with COVID symptoms to get themselves tested and isolate to prevent the further spread of the infection. Director of Public Health Dr Niranjan Mishra also urged people to cooperate with the health team visiting their houses for surveillance. The health officials said that the situation is under control in Odisha unlike other states, but warned people against any complacency.

Also Read: COVID-19: Health Director Urges People With Cold, Cough, Fever To Isolate Themselves, Get Tested