Bhubaneswar: The state government Thursday said that compared to the elderly, the young population in the state has been infected by coronavirus more.
Shalini Pandit, Mission Director (MD) of National Health Mission (NHM) -Odisha, said that infection statistics showed that younger people were more vulnerable to the infection. Like in most other places across the globe, the highest number people in the age group of 0-40 years have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the state most.
“Most of the cases – 64 per cent – in the state are reported from people in the age group of 20-40 years. On the other hand, 29 per cent of the people in the age group 41-60 years are infected by the virus. The elderly are the least infected, as only 7% of the patients in the state were above the age of 60 years,” she said.
The data made available by NHM MD also hinted that the cases of symptomatic patients too have risen in the state. The government earlier claimed that 80-90 per cent of the patients were asymptomatic.
Data provided government official Thursday showed that 46 per cent of the COVID patients in the state were symptomatic, while 54 per cent were asymptomatic, hinting at the rise of symptomatic cases. The door-to-door surveys being undertaken are trying to isolate the symptomatic patients and make them undergo tests.
“It depends on the day of testing. Any person can test negative on some days and positive on other days during the infection cycle,” she added.