Dhenkanal: Dhenkanal district Saturday reported 92 COVID-19 cases with Gandia block alone registering a single-day spike of 84 cases.
Similarly, ward No-11 under Bhuban notified area council (NAC) limits witnessed three, Surapratappur two, Derasingh area under Sadar block one, Balyamba one and Kunjakanta under Dhenkanal civic limits one COVID-19 cases Friday, respectively.
One more patient belonging to Dhenkanal district who had previously gone to a private hospital at Cuttack for his routine health checkup has tested positive for COVID-19. However, Gandia block which borders Jajpur has come out as a hotspot in the district.
In order to prevent any probable spread of COVID-19 infection in the days ahead, the district administration has imposed shutdown on Pingua, Dasamanapatana, Nihalaprasad, Khandabandha, Sadangi panchayat areas under Gandia block limits till August 6, Dhenkanal district Collector Bhumesh Chandra Behera informed.
Contact tracing and swab testing activities have been accelerated in these panchayats following the spike in cases. All health, Anganwadi and Asha workers here have been engaged for the purpose.
The Dhenkanal-Jajpur border was sealed from Friday night. Persons who were identified have been admitted to COVID-19 care hospitals. Including Friday’s spike, the district total tally reached 294 cases. As local denizens depend on neighbouring Jajpur for their trade, healthcare and several other requirements, contact tracing from Jajpur could prove to be crucial in future, local intelligentsia opined.
PNN