Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Covid-19 graph saw an upward tick with the state recording 1,897 fresh cases on Thursday. From 228 cases reported on December 31, the number of infections mounted to 424 each on January 2&3, 680 on January 4 and 1,216 on January 5.
Out of the 1,897 fresh cases including 258 of 0-18 years, 1,106 cases were reported from the quarantine centres and 791 as local contact cases. The Covid-19 infection has now spread to all 30 districts of Odisha, according to the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) department.
Khurda district has recorded the highest number of 669 cases followed by Sundargarh (262), Cuttack (148), Sambalpur (125) and Balasore (100). These five districts together accounted for 68.7 per cent of the total new cases.
With the confirmation of another death due to Covid on Thursday, the death toll in the state mounted to 8467. Meanwhile, the active cases in the state also witnessed a big jump during the last week. The active caseload has increased from 1,518 (December 31) to 5,739 on Thursday.
Out of the 30 districts in Odisha, only Khordha district has been declared a yellow zone with 2,167 active cases. All other districts have been marked green zone.
“The Covid cases have been rising in Odisha and other states too. However, the severity has remained low till now. The state government is well prepared to tackle the situation,” said director health services Bijya Mohapatra.
The Omicron cases have also spread to almost all the districts in the state, he said. The director appealed to the people to strictly follow the Covid-19 protocols and instructions issued by the government.
State nodal officer for Covid-19 vaccination, Bijay Panigrahi said on Wednesday 80,972 persons in the age group of 15 to 18 years were vaccinated at 1125 centres. So far, 2,64,690 doses have been administered to teenagers in Odisha, he said.
About 27 lakh eligible people in the state have not taken the first dose of the Covid vaccine, said Panigrahi.
(IANS)
