One more COVID-19 case in Odisha; total tally 56

A 61-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha, taking the total number of cases in the state to 56, health department officials said on Tuesday.

The man from Jajpur district, who had recently travelled to Kolkata, tested positive for the deadly virus, they said.

A total of 564 samples were tested on Monday and the result of one was positive, the officials said.

Of the 4,734 samples tested so far in the state, 4,678 were found negative and 56 positive, they said.

A 72-year-old patient from the state capital died of the disease on April 6.

The number of active cases, however, stood at 37 in the state as six more people who were earlier infected with COVID-19 in Odisha, have recovered on Monday, taking the total number of patients cured of the disease to 18.

Of the recovered patients, 12 are from Bhubaneswar, two from Bhadrak and one each from Cuttack, Jajpur, Puri and Kalahandi.

"With the combined efforts of all, Odisha is winning the fight against COVID-19," the health and family welfare department tweeted.

National Health Mission (NHM) director Shalini Pandit said more than 80 per cent of the patients in the state are asymptomatic and many of them will not require hospital care.

The tests for coronavirus are presently being done at RMRC, AIIMS and ILS in Bhubaneswar, SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.

"Laboratory development and equipment installation work are going on in full swing at VIMSAR in Burla for commencing COVID-19 testing at the earliest," the officials said.