Cases Rising, Bhubaneswar Sitting On Corona Tinderbox ?

Bhubaneswar: From COVID-19 hotspot to being declared coronavirus-free on May 18, a tag it lost the very next day, Bhubaneswar seems to be back in the grip of COVID-19 with 30 cases being reported in June so far.

On March 15, Odisha’s first COVID-19 case was reported in Bhubaneswar when a 33-year-old arrived in Odisha from Milan after spending nine days in New Delhi. The state capital also registered the first fatality on April 6 when a 72-year-old man of Jharpada succumbed to the virus.

The number spiked in the city when 15 people, who came in contact with another person with travel history to Nizamuddin Markaz, tested positive. Prior to that, a 19-year-old studying in the UK and a retired bank officer were found to have contracted the virus. Soon after, a 60-year-old man with no travel history tested positive and six members in his family and that of his tenant’s family were later found to have been infected.

Cases kept pouring in till April 14, After a brief lull of 14 days, the city reported another corona positive case on April 28, which took the affected tally to 47. Three more positive cases were detected from Mancheswar, VSS Nagar and Surya Nagar on May 7.

On May 18, Bhubaneswar was declared corona-free with all 48 COVID-19 patients recovering from the infection. The virus had claimed two lives by then.

Also Read: First Coronavirus Death In Odisha

Also Read: COVID-19 Claims Another Life In Bhubaneswar; Second Death In Odisha

However, the city again saw two persons testing positive for the virus on May 19 and one more on May 24. The following day, one case each was detected at Balipatna and Sisupalgarh respectively under Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits. Two migrants (Delhi and Maharashtra returnees) tested positive for COVID-19 on May 29. In all, 10 persons tested COVID-19 positive in May and seven among them between May 19 and May 29, according to tweets of I & PR department.

On June 3, BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary told the media there were 11 active cases in the city and among them, nine had travel history. Four new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the city the following day.

Also Read:  Four New COVID Cases In Bhubaneswar; Know Details Here

According to a tweet by BMC, Bhubaneswar’s affected tally was 81 on June 5 with 13 more persons testing positive for the virus. Three more persons had recovered from the infection and another died (sixth (May 20) or eight (June 5) victim in Khurda district) since May 18.

Also Read: 13 New COVID-19 Patients In Bhubaneswar; Details Here

Therefore, the affected tally was 68 on June 4 and 64 on June 3, when the number of active cases was 11 if we consider that 51 of the total patients had recovered by then with three deaths.

If seven persons tested positive between May 19 and May 29 and there were 11 active cases as on June 3 with 51 recoveries, then six fresh cases were detected this month itself (by June 3).

On June 6, an assistant professor and a CISF jawan were among five people, who tested positive for coronavirus. The corona tally rose to 88 on Sunday ( June 7) with a father-daughter duo of Patia testing positive for the virus.

Also Read: Asst Professor Among Five New Positive COVID-19 Cases In Bhubaneswar

Also Read: Father-Daughter Duo Tests Corona Positive In Bhubaneswar’s Patia

With three deaths and 51 recoveries, the city now has 34 active cases. And with Salia Sahi, the city’s largest slum that can be considered a mini Dharavi, reportedly have dozens in quarantine after detection of one positive case, Bhubaneswar could be in for difficult times.

Also Read: 44 Persons In Salia Sahi Of Bhubaneswar Put Under Quarantine