Bhubaneswar: Odisha has seen a three-fold rise in COVID deaths during the second wave as compared to the first wave last year, according to government data.
The state recorded 5,145 deaths during the second wave of the pandemic till August 16. The toll was 1,876 during the first wave till December 31, 2020.
Similarly, the case tally too has almost doubled during the second wave. Odisha has recorded 6,66,287 cases during the second wave compared to 3,29,866 cases last year.
The number of deaths spiked five times in the 15 to 44 years age group. According to government figures, 1,472 in this age bracket succumbed to the virus between January and August as compared to 268 last year.
The toll also more than doubled in the 45-60 years age bracket. The figure has been 1,976 this year as against 776 last year.
As for senior citizens, 1,683 had succumbed to the virus till mid-August. The toll was 824 during the first wave.
