Odisha registers highest single day spike in COVID-19 cases this year

    Bhubaneswar, Mar 31 (PTI) Odisha registered its
highest single day spike so far this year in coronavirus cases
on Wednesday when its tally surged to 3,40,917 after 297 more
people tested positive for the infection amidst preparations
by the state to inoculate two lakh people from Thursday, a
health department official said.
    The state during the day also registered the recovery
of 161 patients taking the total number of cured persons to
3,37,091, which is 98.87 per cent of the caseload.
    Odishas case fatality ratio (CFR) remained unchanged
at 0.56 per cent while its positivity rate is 3.77 per cent,
he said.
    Of the 297 new cases, 174 were reported from
quarantine centres, while the remaining were detected during
contact tracing, he said.
    Kalahandi district registered 57 new cases, followed
by 38 in Sundergarh, Khurda with 33 and Nuapada with 31
acses.
    Malkangiri district continued to remain COVID-19 free
for a week.
    The state's coronavirus toll remained unchanged at
1,921 as no more fatalities were reported since Tuesday.
    However, 53 other COVID-19 patients died in the state
during the day due to comorbidities, he said.
    The state currently has 1,852 active cases which is
0.54 per cent of the caseload. The number of active cases in
the state has almost doubled in a span of only six days.
     The number of active cases increased to 2013 on March
31 from 937 on March 24, he said.
    The state has so far conducted over 90.43 lakh tests
for COVID-19, including 20,874 on Tuesday.
    Meanwhile, the state has planned to start vaccination
of persons who are aged 45 years and above from Thursday. All
the districts have been given specific targets to inoculate
people every day.
    Though April 1 is a government holiday due to Utkala
Divas, the government has decided to go ahead with state-wide
vaccination programme to achieve the target of Two lakhs per
day.
    The additional chief secretary to the health and
family welfare department P K Mohapatra has written to the
District Collectors in this regard and has advised to
prioritize the high risk groups among people aged 45 years
and above for COVID-19 Vaccination.
    The Odisha government has decided to go for
vaccination on April 1 and 2 though both are holidays,
Mohapatra said adding that the districts have been given the
daily target of two Lakh.
    Street vendors, meat and fish sellers, auto and bus
drivers, school and college teachers, salon and barber shop
employees, security guards, restaurant staff, temple, church
and mosque priests will be inoculated as early as possible.
    The state government Wednesday also issued fresh
guidelines for the month of April keeping in view the ensuing
by-elections in Pipili assembly seat and a series of festivals
next month.
    The maximum ceiling for gatherings in religious,
political and any other events should not cross 200 people, it
said. PTI AAM
KK KK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)