Odisha registers highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases this year
What's the story
Odisha registered its highest single-day spike so far this year in coronavirus cases on Wednesday when its tally surged to 3,40,917 after 297 more people tested positive for the infection amidst preparations by the state to inoculate two lakh people from Thursday, a health department official said.
Here are more details on this.
Details
Odisha's positivity rate is 3.77 percent
The state during the day registered the recovery of 161 patients taking the total number of cured persons to 3,37,091, which is 98.87 percent of the caseload.
Odisha's Case Fatality Ratio remained unchanged at 0.56 percent while its positivity rate is 3.77 percent.
Of the 297 new cases, 174 were reported from quarantine centers, and rest were detected during contact tracing, the official said.
Situation
State's coronavirus toll remained unchanged at 1,921
Kalahandi district registered 57 new cases, followed by 38 in Sundergarh, Khurda with 33, and Nuapada with 31 cases.
Malkangiri district continued to remain COVID-19 free for a week.
The state's coronavirus toll remained unchanged at 1,921 as no more fatalities were reported since Tuesday.
However, 53 other COVID-19 patients died in the state during the day due to comorbidities, he said.
Active cases
Number of active cases has almost doubled in six days
The state currently has 1,852 active cases which are 0.54 percent of the caseload. The number of active cases has almost doubled in a span of only six days.
The number of active cases increased to 2013 on March 31 from 937 on March 24, he said.
The state has so far conducted over 90.43 lakh tests for COVID-19, including 20,874 on Tuesday.
Vaccination
Vaccination to start for people aged 45 years and above
Meanwhile, the state has planned to start vaccination of persons who are aged 45 years and above from Thursday. All the districts have been given specific targets to inoculate people every day.
Though April 1 is a government holiday due to Utkala Divas, the government has decided to go ahead with the vaccination program to achieve the target of two lakh inoculations per day.
Information
High-risk groups to be prioritized for vaccination
The additional chief secretary to the health and family welfare department PK Mohapatra has written to the District Collectors in this regard and has advised prioritizing the high-risk groups among people aged 45 years and above for COVID-19 vaccination.
Other details
Vendors, teachers among others to be vaccinated at the earliest
"The Odisha government planned to go for vaccination on April 1 and 2 though both are holidays," Mohapatra said adding that districts have been given the daily target of two lakh.
Street vendors, meat and fish sellers, auto and bus drivers, school and college teachers, salon and barbershop employees, security guards, restaurant staff, temple, church, and mosque priests will be inoculated at the earliest.