BHUBANESWAR: More than a month since the government announced lockdown on May 5, test positivity rate in 17 of the 30 districts, mainly in northern and coastal Odisha, continue to be over an alarming 10%.
There is no significant decline in the state’s average positivity rate (TPR or percentage of samples returning positive) of 8-9% in the past four days even as another 6,097 more tested positive for the virus on Thursday, raising the total case load to 8,37,226.
Besides, 44 more people succumbed to the virus, increasing the toll to 3,167.
Special relief commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena on Thursday said while the state continues to face the second wave, no expert is able to predict how long will it continue though there is prediction of a possible third wave.
“We have been witnessing more than 6,000 new cases per day” Jena said.
Compared to an all-India average of 4.69%, Odisha’s TPR was 8.75 % on Thursday, same as Wednesday and marginally up from the 8.55% on Tuesday.
It was 9.11% on Monday with no remarkable fall in the last few days.
The state has been adding more than 6,000 new infections for the past four days and witnessed an average of 40 deaths daily for a week.
Northern Odisha districts of Bhadrak (32.7%), Jajpur (22.91%), Balasore (18.2%) and Mayurbhanj (14%) besides Khurda (19.36%), Dhenkanal (16.9%) Cuttack (15.19%) and Puri (14.98%) have average weekly TPR (June 3-9) of above 14%.
Positivity in Rayagada, Kendrapada, Boudh, Angul, Jagatsinghpur, Jhadsuguda, Sundargarh and Nabarangpur is also above 10% for the past one week.
Only six districts of Bargarh, Sambalpur, Balangir, Sonepur,Gajapati and Ganjam have positivity below 5%, considered safe for unlocking.
Bramhadev Pattnalk, a noted virologist and epidemiologist said since the vaccination is very slow compared to the spread of the virus, there can’t be an early end to new infections.
“However, after the peak in mid-May, there has been continuous though slow decline.
While strict adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour will check further spread, any laxity may lead to spike in infections,” Pattnaik said.
Jayant Panda, the government’s technical adviser on Covid-19, said there is no significant fall in overall infection rate because while many western Odisha districts witnessed sharp decline, the numbers increased in some northern and coastal districts.
“Given the trend, by another week, the fall may be widely visible in all parts of the state,” Panda said.
Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur districts are still showing a spike in cases while other districts are showing a gradual decline.