BHUBANESWAR: With the state reporting 45 Covid deaths on Sunday, the toll in June so far has touched 600.
Though the state saw 45 deaths a day, on an average, in June (up from 40 in May), its June Covid count dropped by almost 50% of any single-day’s infections in the whole of May.
The state on Saturday recorded 47 deaths, the highest-ever in a day since the pandemic broke out in March last year.
It has been reporting pending deaths in a staggered manner after audit by a committee set up for the purpose.
Healthcare experts attributed the mismatch of the rising death figures and falling one-day infections to the delay in the release of the audit reports.
“When the state used to witness anywhere between 10,000 to 12000 cases, the number of deaths used to be at least 35 to 40.
Though the daily count has come down, the daily fatalities are hovering over 50.
So the death figures in the public domain are not the latestfatalities,” a healthcare expert said.
On Sunday, the state’s positivity rate stood at 7.2% with 62,034 samples being tested and 4,469 returning positive.
The TPR has been consistent for two consecutive days.
At least 15 districts — mostly the southern and western ones — reported cases in double digits.
The western districts with a low infection count were Bargarh (85), Balangir (56), Boudh (90), Deogarh (23), Kalahandi (92), Nuapada (14), Sambalpur (61), Jharsuguda (27) and Sonepur (60).
The southern districts with double-digit cases were Gajapati (26), Ganjam (43), Kandhamal (28), Koraput (87), Malkangiri (75).
The northern district of Keonjhar also reported double-digit cases with 96 infections.
The eight coastal districts, including Khurda (612), have been reporting more than 100 cases on a daily basis.
The government authorities feel the dip in the coastal part of the state will finally determine the weakening impact of the second wave as these districts had seen a spurt not too long ago.