Odisha reports 4,237 new COVID cases, record 15 fresh fatalities

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s COVID-19 tally rose to 1,92,548 on Wednesday as 4,237 more people tested positive for the infection, while record 15 fresh fatalities pushed the state’s coronavirus death toll to 736, a health official said.

Odisha had registered 14 coronavirus deaths on September 11 and August 29, he said.

Bhubaneswar, which falls under Khurda district, reported the highest number of fresh fatalities at four, followed by two each in Puri and Mayurbhanj and one each in Balasore, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Nayagarh, and Nuapada districts, the official said.

Ganjam district has so far registered the highest number of COVID-19 deaths at 218, followed by Khurda (110) and Cuttack (60), he said.

At least 4,052 patients were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,57,265, which accounts for 81.67 percent of the caseload.

The case fatality ratio (CFR) stands at 0.38, which is one of the lowest in the country, he said.

As many as 2,485 new cases were reported in quarantine centers, while 1,752 people tested positive for the infection during contact tracing, the official said.

Khurda district registered the highest number of new cases at 647, followed by Cuttack (577), Puri (219), and Jharsuguda (205), he said.

Odisha now has 34,494 active coronavirus cases, accounting for 17.91 percent of the state’s total caseload, the official said.

Fifty-three COVID-19 patients have died due to other ailments so far, he said.

The state has so far tested over 29.05 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 45,321 on Tuesday, the official added.

Meanwhile, the Ganjam district administration has decided to observe COVID Week from September 24 to October 1 for creating awareness among the people.

“The COVID-19 situation has improved, but we have to win this battle,” Ganjam district magistrate-cum collector V A Kulange said.