BHUBANESWAR: As many as 12 districts on Tuesday reported Covid cases in double digits, a significant development for the state in its fight against Covid-19.
Till a few days back all the districts were reporting cases in triple digits.
With 5,986 fresh infections in 24 hours from 68,896 samples tested, the test positivity rate dipped further to 8.55%.
But despite a drop in cases, 45 more Covid patients succumbed to the virus, the highest so far since the first virus case was noticed in March last year.
The 12 districts with double digit cases are Bargarh (99), Balangir (77), Boudh (73), Deogarh (22), Gajapati (44), Ganjam (35), Jharsuguda (54), Kalahandi (53), Kandhamal (65), Nuapada (37), Subarnapur (77) and Sambalpur (92).
Khurda again took top spot with 853 fresh infections followed by Jajpur with 413 new cases.
Khurda’s death toll crossed 500 with six more succumbing to the virus, while five patients each died in Cuttack and Kalahandi.
Ajay Parida, director, Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), said the state government projection of having active cases down to 56,000 by June 15 will hold true given the way the Covid graph is moving.
“The coastal and northern districts will also see the Covid count going down very soon.
The state now has 65,336 active positive cases and the recovery rate is more than the new cases.
Hopefully, the TPR after June 15 will come down below 5%,” Parida said.
The capital city on Tuesday reported 661 fresh cases, up by more than 200 a day earlier, against 1357 recoveries, helping active cases to go down to 7,222.
In the city, out of the total active cases, around 90% patients are in home isolation.
The city’s Covid toll reached 362, around 120 fatalities in the second wave alone even as it accumulated around 48,000 cases this time around.