14 fresh Omicron infections in Odisha, state's tally rises to 75

Fourteen fresh Omicron cases were detected in Odisha on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 75, a health official said.

Eight new Omicron patients have travel history, while four are local cases, and the travel history of two others are yet to be ascertained, he said.

Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, the only facility in the state where genome sequencing is conducted, has informed the Health Department about the development.

Five Omicron patients have recovered from the disease so far, while a 45-year-old patient has died in Bolangir district.

Odisha had first reported Omicron cases on December 21 last year. Director of Health Service Bijay Mohapatra said that the Omicron variant has been detected in all the districts of the state.

The state government is trying to expand its genome sequencing capability, even as the daily test positivity rate has jumped from 1.13 per cent on January 4 to 5.51 per cent on January 8.