10,059 new Covid cases in Odisha on Thursday, highest since May 26

Odisha recorded 10,059 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, 14.6 per cent higher than the previous day and the biggest daily spike in over seven months, the state health department said.

The toll mounted to 8,472 with three more fatalities - one each in Angul, Kendrapara and Nayagarh districts, a bulletin of the department said.

The daily test positivity rate (TPR) on Thursday increased to 12.41 per cent from 11.77 on the previous day, it said.

The state had reported 11,623 coronavirus cases on May 26 last year and 8,778 on Wednesday.

The new infections shot up by more than five-fold from 1,897 a week ago.

The caseload rose to 11.02 lakh, including 10.49 lakh recoveries as 949 patients recuperated in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.

As many as 872 children were among those who were found positive out of 81,065 samples tested in the past 24 hours, the bulletin said.

Khurda district, where state capital Bhubaneswar is located, reported nearly one-third of the new infections at 3,188, followed by Sundargarh (1,348), Cuttack (870), Sambalpur (570) and Puri (272), it said.

There are 44,349 active cases -- including 14,076 in Khurda, which is in the red zone of over 2,500 current infections along with Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Cuttack.

Puri, Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Jharsuguda are in the yellow zone with more than 1,000 patients.

The TPR is more than 10 per cent in six districts, including 27.6 in Sundargarh and 25.5 in Khurda. Fourteen other districts have a positivity of over five per cent.

Health services director Bijay Mohapatra said the daily cases could cross the peak of the second wave soon.

The state had logged the highest one-day spike of 12,852 cases on May 23.

He expressed inability to predict when the graph will come down unless the infections plateaued. We can't say whether the Delta or the Omicron variant is more prevalent now, but have to accept that both strains are present in the state. he told journalists.

The number of Covid patients on oxygen beds and ventilators in hospitals is very low, he told journalists.

Mohapatra underlined that people should not take Omicron lightly as a common cold and anyone who has symptoms should get themselves tested as isolation was one of the important measures to prevent transmission.

The health department bulletin did not update the number of those affected by Omicron, which was 170 on Wednesday, as genome sequencing takes at least two days.

Meanwhile, as many as 20 doctors at VIMSAR, Burla, 30 medical students of FM Medical College at Balasore, over 30 employees of Capital Hospitals and staff of community health centre at Mohana in Gajapati district have tested positive affecting normal health services in the respective areas.

Director of Capital Hospital here, Laxmidhar Sahoo told he media that several doctors, nurses and staff of different departments have been detected with the virus and are in isolation.

This apart, 22 employees of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation office have also been infected by the virus forcing the authorities to deny entry of general people into its offices.

The Ganjam district administration has shut all sea beaches like Gopalpur and Sonapur and other major water bodies for five days to avoid large gatherings during the upcoming festivals.

It will remain closed from Thursday till Monday, it ordered.