BHUBANESWAR: With 6,118 new infections being detected on Monday, the state’s daily Covid count came to less than half of its peak, two weeks ago on May 23, when it reported 12,852 cases.
The Covid death toll crossed 3000 mark with 3,035 Covid patients succumbing to the virus since the pandemic broke out in March 2020.
The new cases also saw the test positivity rate (TPR) dipping below 10 per cent with the state testing 67178 samples.
The state’s highest TPR was reported on May 7 with 24.09 per cent.
Exactly a month later, it has come down to 9.10 per cent, significant fall in view of many coastal districts seeing recent spurt in daily Covid cases.
For the first time in more than two months, Khurda district took the third spot with less than 500 cases (495) while Cuttack took the top spot with 640 cases.
Small coastal district Jajpur, which was low on infection count, has taken the second spot with 563 new cases.
Coastal region is still very much affected with close to 2700 cases coming from eight districts including Khurda while their 10 western counterparts taken together have reported 1300 cases with Nuapada, close to Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, has reported only 36 cases.
Ajay Parida, director, Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) said the state is witnessing a consistent fall in daily Covid count, but people shouldn’t be complacent and be careless in their behaviour.
“We still have a long way to go.
With daily fall in cases, we shouldn’t think we beaten the virus.
Covid appropriate behaviour of people, lockdown, surveillance and vaccination- all these factors together helped the western part contain the spread.
The coastal part too will see the fall soon and then we have the pan Odisha picture of the curve bending completely,” he explained.
With Nuapada easing its daily conduct of life a bit as the positivity rate there has come down to 1.5 per cent on an average daily with around 1300 samples being tested, government offices have started functioning with hundred per cent strength.
“The social movement of people between Nuapada and Raipur is still very much under restriction with people pulling back themselves on attending social functions.
At border check posts only we have testing facilities.
Earlier, we had made RT-PCR negative report mandatory for anyone coming from the neighbouring state,” said collector (Nuapada) Swadha Dev Singh.