Bhubaneswar: Odisha recorded more than half of the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in September alone.
The state, which had reported its first positive case on March 15, registered 52.15 per cent new infections and 41.44 per cent Coronavirus-related deaths during the month gone by.
An analysis of COVID-19 infections revealed that a whopping 1,16,173 cases and 356 deaths were reported in September, signalling that Odisha peaked way late than other states, the New Indian Express reported.
On an average, around 3,872 cases were reported across 30 districts though Khurda, Cuttack and Puri contributed nearly 30 per cent the caseload.
Similarly, the average death reported on a day was 12. The highest single day spike of 4,356 cases was recorded on September 25 and 16 deaths on September 23.
However, 1,04,930 patients recovered during the period with the highest recovery of 4,388 patients recorded on September 25.
In August, Odisha had averaged 2,357 cases and nine deaths a day with a total tally of 73,082 cases and 278 deaths while at an average of 844 cases and six deaths a day, a total 26,163 cases and 192 deaths were registered in July.
Though cases remained over 3,000 all through September, the infection progressed around mid-September and the daily tally crossed 4000 mark on September 13 when 4198 cases were reported. The daily caseload breached the 4,000 mark for 13 days, including 12 days in a row, before going down due to reduced tests.
Health authorities attributed the rise in infection to people’s reluctance to strictly adhere to COVID-19 guidelines and breach of safety protocols in marriages, community feasts and social gatherings.
