Bhubaneswar: The COVID-19 tally touched 15 in Odisha with three more people testing positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, Director of Public Health Dr Nilakantha Mishra informed on Monday.
The health official asserted that there has been no major surge in infections in Odisha compared to other states, testing is focused on those displaying notable symptoms and only a small fraction are coming back positive. He reiterated that the current infections are being caused by mild sub-variants of Omicron, and urged citizens not to panic. He further maintained that there has been no COVID deaths in the state.
It was earlier reported that an elderly person, who tested Covid positive a few days back, died on Saturday while undergoing treatment at his home.
Since Rath Yatra of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri is scheduled for June 27, a high-level review meeting is likely to be held soon to assess the preparedness for the grand event in view of the recent rise in cases, Mishra added.
In May, the state had reported eight cases – five from Bhubaneswar, two from Cuttack and one from Khurda. Of the samples sequenced, two were identified as LF.7.9 and three as XFG, both Omicron descendants linked to the prolonged COVID waves of 2020-22 that caused millions of deaths, according to sources in Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG).
Meanwhile, the number of active COVID-19 cases in India has touched 3,961, with multiple states reporting a slight but consistent rise in daily infections. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) confirmed 203 new cases and four deaths, one each in Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, in the last 24 hours.
While Kerala, Maharashtra, and Delhi continue to report the highest number of infections, the country has recorded 32 COVID-related deaths since January 1.
