Bhubaneswar: Health experts in Odisha warned on Sunday that the possibility of community transmission of COVID-19 in the cannot be ruled out.
“While the second wave of COVID-19 is yet to peak in Odisha, there is no appreciable fall in the number of the patients. Taking this into consideration, the possibility of community transmission in the state cannot be ruled out,” the technical adviser to the state Health Department, Dr Jayant Panda, told the media here.
Panda said the number of infections in Odisha can be brought under control if the people strictly follow COVID appropriate behaviour. “It is our behaviour that can protect us against the killer virus,” he added.
He expressed hope that the new drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) can bring down the number of infection to a great extent.
The 2-DG drug is developed by the DRDO laboratory, Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences, in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Panda hoped that the use of the new drug.
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According to eminent specialist in internal medicine Dr Niroj Kumar Mishra, the Odisha government has managed to break the COVID-19 chain to some extent, mostly in the urban areas, due to the lockdown and weekend shutdown.
Asked if COVID-19 cases have peaked in Odisha, he said it was earlier speculated that the virus will peak by May 15. But now, it seems that it will take more time to peak.
“As there is a rise in positivity rate in the rural and sub-urban areas, the peaking of COVID-19 within this date is a remote possibility. Going by the rising trend, the pandemic situation in the state will continue till the next six months. To contain the spread of the virus, the people have to strictly adhere to the COVID norms,” Mishra added.
