COVID-19 Second Wave: Is Odisha Staring At Chhattisgarh-Like Situation?

Bhubaneswar: Is Odisha, which saw a  jump of 879 in daily COVID-19 caseload on Thursday, heading the Chhattisgarh way?

Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, Director Ajay Parida on Thursday said that this possibility cannot be ruled out as the second strain of COVID-19 has led to a rise in the rate of infection in the state.

He said the new mutant strain is more infectious than the previous strain. The ILS is now testing the new strain.

“People should be more aware of the new strain and take adequate precautions else the situation in the state may go out of control,” he said.

Referring to the grave situation in Chhattisgarh, he said the Odisha government is closely monitoring the situation in the state and is most likely to take major decisions if the upsurge continues.

The neighbouring state reported 10,310 new cases on Thursday. The caseload in the state rose from around 3100 cases on March 30 to 7500 on April 5, making it the epicentre of COVID-19 resurgence.

Parida attributed the steady rise in COVID-19 cases in Bhubaneswar to the arrival of a large number of people from the neighbouring states.

The apprehension of the ILS director seems true as the preliminary projection by the ICMR, IIT-Bhubaneswar and the Johns Hopkins University of the US states that the daily caseload in Odisha will further soar from April 15 to 25 and could peak to 5,000 by the month-end.

Also Read: Odisha’s Daily COVID-19 Caseload Expected To Peak By Month-End