One more person tests positive for COVID-19, Odisha count 143

Bhubaneswar: One more person from Balasore district tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases in Odisha to 143, officials said on Friday.

With the fresh case, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Balasore district reached 20. The new case is a 58-year-old male having a travel history to Kolkata. He was asymptomatic, they said.

All the 20 COVID-19 cases in Balasore district are active, officials said.

Contact tracing of the new patient and follow up action is underway, the Health and Family Welfare department said.

Two patients in Bhubaneswar have recovered from COVID-19, the department said. Of the 47 cases in Khurda district, 27 persons have so far recovered, they said, adding that one person from the state capital had died of coronavirus on April 6.

Of the total 143 COVID-19 cases, Bhubaneswar tops the list with 47, followed by 36 in Jajpur, 20 in Balasore district, 19 in Bhadrak district, 10 in Sundergarh district, two each in Kendrapara and Kalahandi districts, one each case in Cuttack, Puri, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Keonjhar and Koraput districts.

As more than 90 per cent of cases in Balasore, Jajpur and Bhadrak districts have West Bengal link, the Health and Family Welfare department appealed to the people not to hide their travel history.

The people who have returned from West Bengal recently must come forward for testing. They may seem healthy but they could be infected and also spread infection, the department said, adding that they are advised to contact local BDO/Tahasildar/Sarpanch and remain in isolation at home.

Testing is free, the department added.