Bhubaneswar: With the continuous surge in daily Covid-19 cases in Cuttack district during past few days, a senior government official Saturday said that a community transmission-like situation has emerged in the district.
Senior doctor and government-appointed nodal officer for Cuttack district, Dr Umesh Ray told the media Saturday that the alarming rise in the daily Covid positive cases in Cuttack city and the district could be due to community transmission.
However, he said, scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) can only decide whether community transmission has occurred in the district or not.
Claiming that the Covid surge in the district will peak in next 5-6 days, Ray said the daily caseload in the district will gradually come down thereafter.
Talking about the probable reasons behind the surge in daily cases, the nodal officer said hundreds of people, including migrant workers from the other districts and states, are returning to the district contributing to the number of Covid patients.
It may be mentioned only 27 new Covid cases were reported in the district April 1, while the number reached 1,052, Saturday (May 8).
Meanwhile, Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) commissioner Ananya Das said the government is planning to increase the number of beds at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and rope in more private hospitals for effective treatment of Covid-19 patients.
PNN