Bhubaneswar: Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Odisha has confirmed 17 deaths due to the deadly disease in the last three days.
Four patients succumbed to the infection on Tuesday. The Health Department shared the details of the deceased, one each from Cuttack, Kendrapada, Koraput and Sundargarh districts, after an audit confirmed that the death was COVID-19.
On Wednesday, the state confirmed six more COVID deaths. The details of the patients, however, have not been shared by the department on its official Twitter handle.
“The fatalities put out on Wednesday is the highest in five months, but these are not from a single day,” Director, Health Services, Bijay Mohapatra told the media.
“With the Omicron variant fast replacing Delta, we will soon have patients with minimal complication,” he added.
According to a study by the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, around 60 per cent of samples collected from 10 districts between January 9 and January 16 were found infected with the new variant of COVID.
Also Read: Omicron Responsible For Steep Spike In COVID Cases In Odisha? 70% Prevalence In Khurda
The toll touched 8501 on Thursday with seven more deaths being confirmed and among them, four were from Bhubaneswar.
Also Read: 4 Senior Citizens Of Bhubaneswar Among 7 More COVID Casualties In Odisha
Currently, 11 per cent of beds in hospitals are occupied.
Notably, Odisha had been reporting two to three deaths for the past several weeks with nil casualties on some days.
On Wednesday, Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra said that only 2 per cent COVID patients are needing hospitalisation now against 10 per cent in the second wave.
Also Read: Check Chief Secy Message For People Of Odisha Amid COVID Surge
