Odisha’s COVID tally crosses 30,000-mark; death toll mounts to 169

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s COVID-19 count crossed the 30,000-mark with the detection of 1,203 fresh infections, while 10 more fatalities due to the disease pushed the death toll to 169, a health department official said on Thursday.

The fresh cases were reported from 28 of the state’s 30 districts, he said.

Ganjam district reported the highest 250 new cases, followed by Khurda (220), Cuttack (97), Sundergarh (74), Gajapati (72) and Malkangiri (65). The remaining 425 cases were registered in 22 other districts.

The state also registered recovery of 807 more COVID patients taking the total number of cured people to 19,746, which is 65 per cent of the total caseload, the official said.

“Regret to inform the demise of 10 COVID positive patients while under treatment in hospitals,” the health department said in a statement.

Of the 169 COVID deaths, Ganjam accounted for the highest 90 fatalities followed by Khurda (21), Cuttack (11), Gajapati (nine), Rayagada and Sundergarh (seven each) while 24 other casualties were reported from 15 other districts.

With Odisha completing over 5 lakh sample tests, NHM Director Shalini Pandit said that 54 testing laboratories are currently operational in 30 districts.

She said that the state has the capacity to conduct 20,000 tests every day.

The state registered more than 23,000 new cases in 28 days in July, Pandit said that the state is ready to face the challenge and has made all arrangements including augmenting the testing capacity, hospital bed strength and procuring all required medicines besides introducing plasma therapy for the treatment of COVID patients.

Pandit said, “So far 28 people have donated plasma, and 33 patients have been administered plasma therapy. Among them, 23 have responded well to the treatment and eight have so far been cured of the disease.”

Pandit said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be inaugurating the states third plasma bank at IGH-Rourkela on Friday. Two other plasma banks are in operation at SCB Medical College Hospital and at Capital Hospital here.

The state has also plans to set up two more plasma banks in Berhampur and Burla.

The NHM director said that 7 per cent of the state’s total COVID patients are above 60 years and 64 per cent below 40 years.

“While 54 per cent of the total patients are asymptotic, 46 per cent have shown symptoms,” she said.

Pandit said most of the cases are found to have either participated in any wedding ceremonies or funeral.

Meanwhile, the state government has added 1,000 hospital beds in high caseload places like Ganjam, Bhubaneswar and Khurda in the last seven days.