Odisha coronavirus update: Death toll mounts to 70; 616 new cases detected

The death toll due to COVID-19 in Odisha rose to 70 on Monday with six more fatalities, while the tally climbed to 13,717 as 616 more people tested positive for the disease, a health department official said.

Four deaths were reported from Ganjam district, the state's COVID-19 hotspot, while Khurda and Cuttack reported one each, he said.

"Regret to inform the demise of six COVID positive patients while under treatment," the department said in a statement.

Many of the deceased were suffering from diabetes, hypertension and other ailments, the official said.

Of the 616 fresh cases, 415 were detected among those in quarantine, while 201 are local contact infections, he said.

As many as 505 patients also recovered from the disease, pushing the number of those cured to 9,255.

Ganjam, which is Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's home district, accounted for 283 fresh cases, followed by 50 in Koraput and 40 in Nabarangpur.

There are 4,896 active cases in the state, the official said.

The health department has tested a total of 3,41,537 samples, he added.

In view of the rising number of coronavirus cases, the state government on Monday allowed home treatment of asymptomatic and mild cases in urban areas.

"All COVID-19 positive cases, who are asymptomatic/have mild symptoms in Urban areas, District/Sub-division/Block Headquarter towns are allowed Home Isolation. They have to follow all protocols laid out by the Health and Family Welfare Department," Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said.

He said the strategy was changed in order to intensify and strengthen COVID-19 management and ensure optimum use of all treatment facilities.

Besides, there were requests from various organisations and corporate houses for allowing home isolation for mild and asymptomatic positive cases, he added.

Tripathy said government isolation facilities will primarily be used for housing those suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients who do not have the infrastructure for home isolation and are not accommodated in the Covid Care Centres and Covid Care Homes.

Meanwhile, the district administration of Khurda signed an MoU with the Institute of Medical Science and SUM Hospital to operationalise a 500-bed and a 300-bed Covid Care Centre in Jamujhari area and Khudupur locality of Jatni, respectively.

The centres will be used for the treatment of patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19 and those who are asymptomatic, officials said.

In Ganjam, Berhampur town was sealed as the coronavirus situation continued to remain grim.

As many as 104 ambulances were added for COVID-19 treatment in the district, the officials said, adding that 22 more will be provided in the second phase.

Ganjam Collector V A Kulange said from now on, all government employees deputed for COVID-19 duty will have to undergo testing for the disease.

Several frontline workers in the district have been found to be infected with the contagious respiratory disease.