Bhubaneswar: While the Covid-19 test positivity rate (TPR) in the state has declined gradually, the fatality rate has remained a cause for worry.
The TPR of Odisha was 21.15 per cent May 22 and declined to 10.51 per cent Saturday and health experts believe that it will drop further in coming days.
According to the state Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 19 districts of Odisha recorded an average TPR of above 10 per cent in the past week, while the TPR in nine districts is between 5 and 10 per cent. Similarly, only two districts Kandhamal and Bolangir have recorded a below 5 per cent TPR in the past seven days (May 29 to June 4).
With the decline in the number of daily Covid cases, the districts under red zone (having active cases above 2,501) have also dropped to 10 from 25 in past two days. The districts which are still remain under red zone are —Khurda (9,985 active cases), Cuttack (7,025), Jajpur (3,909), Mayurbhanj (3,840), Puri (3,460), Balasore (3,053), Sundergarh (3,010), Dhenkanla(2,930), Angul (2,907) and Jagatsinghpur (2,587).
On the other hand, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 has been high in the state during past 12 to 15 days. With the severe impact of second wave of the pandemic, the state recorded over 3.20 lakh new cases and 711 fatalities during May, whereas only 118 persons were killed due to the virus in the previous month.
In June, 198 Covid deaths – more than the total in April – have reported so far in the state. The state recorded the highest fatalities (42) June 3, while 40 deaths each were reported June 2 and 5.
PNN