Baripada/Balasore/Bhadrak: As COVID-19 infection cases are on the rise in north Odisha, people and the administration are getting increasingly worried over such cases, a report said.
Three new COVID cases were detected in Mayurbhanj, taking the tally to 7. All three are Surat returnees while many others infected in Balasore, Bhadrak and Keonjhar were linked to West Bengal and Nizamuddin, reports added.
According to a report, Corona entered north Odisha March 31 when a person of Bhadrak tested positive for the virus. This youth of Kantabania had returned from Dubai.
Two more people, who had returned from New Delhi’s Nizamuddin, were found infected with the virus April 2.
Now, the number of infection in Bhadrak has spiraled to 25 – three in Bhadrak, four in Dhamnagar, two each in Bhandaripokhari and Tihidi, one in Bant and 12 in Basudevpur. 21 of these infected have links with Bengal and Surat. 12 panchayat were declared as containment zones and 32 panchayts as surveillance zones.
Similarly, the number of infections has touched 25 in Balasore till date. The first Corona infection was detected in the district April 18. A 58-year old of Neliabag was tagged as a super spreader as he was responsible for infection of a dozen cases.
One case each was detected in Bahanaga, Simulia and Sadar, two each in Soro municipality, Oupada and Basta and three in Khaira. Five of them have recovered.
In Keonjhar, the number of infection is two. Corona infection was first spotted in the mineral-rich district April 29 when a resident of Panchupalli under Anandapur block tested positive.
The second case was detected at Panchugochhia under Hatadihi block May 3. Both had returned from West Bengal.
Three more cases were reported from Mayurbhanj. Meanwhile, Mayurbhanj Collector Vineet Bhardwaj said all infected persons are from Kaptipada block and all are males.
These new cases are Surat returnees. After their return from Surat, they were kept in quarantine centres. Though they were asymptomatic, Surat link prompted the district administration to collect their swabs for test. Their reports came out to be positive Saturday.
Notably, four Surat returnees in Kaptipada block tested positive for the deadly virus Thursday. Surat returnees have made Kaptipada block a hotspot and become a cause of concern for the district administration.
However, the district administration is leaving no stone unturned to check the infection. While asking people not to get panicky as all positive cases are from quarantine centres, the administration is appealing to them to wear masks, follow social distancing and be at home to keep the virus at bay.
PNN