Bhubaneswar: Under the severe impact of Covid-19 second wave, the state recorded over 3.20 lakh new cases and 711 fatalities during the month of May.
As per official data, at least 3,20,803 persons have been infected with the virus in May while 1,13,591 cases were reported in April. The deaths have increased to 711 in May from 118 in April.
Highest 12,852 cases were reported May 23 while 35 deaths were reported on three days (May 26, 29 and 31). Twenty-six deaths were reported May 22 and since then the toll is on rise.
However, daily fresh cases have come down from 11,623 (May 26) to 8313 (May 31).
A few days ago, the daily spike suddenly witnessed a sharp fall because of less testing in the wake of Cyclone Yaas in several districts. Now, though testing has been restored to its usual capacity (over 60,000 per day), the state has been reporting less number of cases.
Speaking to mediapersons here Monday, Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra said, “In Odisha, the cases are on declining path in some districts while a few other districts are still witnessing high caseload. Therefore, this is not a uniform phenomenon and cannot be generalised. But overall, the rate of infection is plummeting.”
Going by this trend, cases in Odisha are expected to go down further in June, he said.
Speaking at the Covid-19 Vaccination Advisory Committee three days back, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had said that the current trend of Covid cases is on decline across the state except for a few districts. The second wave is beginning to recede, he hoped. “We are focusing on vaccination and intend to utilise all resources to quickly vaccinate our people,” the CM had stated.
PNN