Bhubaneswar: A pall of gloom has descended on Odia community, which has also been hit by the coronavirus pandemic, in the United States of America, where the official death toll has touched 10,217.
The Odias there held a prayer meeting on Sunday and wished speedy recovery to those undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
Sunanda Panda, a native of Bhubaneswar and resident of East Brunswick in New Jersey, breathed her last at a local hospital on Sunday. The 50-year-old is suspected to have died of coronavirus.
She reportedly is the first person of Odisha diaspora to have fallen prey to the deadly virus.
Sunanda is survived by her husband and a daughter.
Reports suggest that another native of Odisha is undergoing treatment for COVID-19 and admitted to the ICU of a hospital in Boston.
The US is home of thousands of Odisha natives.
