Bhubaneswar: The daily COVID caseload in Odisha crossed 400-mark on Friday with 431 of 6,956 samples testing positive for the virus in the last 24 hours even as India saw a slight dip with 11,692 new cases against 1,2591 the previous day.
The test positivity rate (TPR) in the state stood at 6.1% for the second consecutive day. Odisha now has 2,411 active cases with 197 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the state health department stated.
“The infection is on the rise in districts adjoining Chhattisgarh. We are keeping a close vigil on people coming from outside. This situation to continue for some days,” said Public Health director Niranjan Mishra after Nabarangpur and Malkangiri tour.
The state had reported 387 and 377 new infections on Thursday and Wednesday respectively after a falling trend in COVID cases. The daily caseloads on Tuesday and Monday were 269 and 268 respectively.
Notably, the weekly TPR was above 10% in three districts – Sonepur (15.5), Sundargarh (14.26) and Sambalpur (12.67) during April 10-16. Odisha is among the 10 states fuelling the country’s tally.
The state has so far confirmed three deaths due to the virus this year.