COVID-19 death toll in Odisha reaches 34; tally mounts to 8,601

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COVID-19 death toll in Odisha reaches 34; tally mounts to 8,601
(Eds: Updating with details, recoveries, govt orders)

Bhubaneswar, July 4 () The COVID-19 death toll in Odisha climbed to 34 with five more patients succumbing to the disease, while the tally reached 8,601 after 495 fresh infections were detected, a health official said on Saturday.

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While Ganjam district reported three deaths, Bhubaneswar (Khurda district) recorded two fatalities, he said.

Though one more COVID-19 patient has died in Cuttack district, the Health Department has attributed the fatality to other ailments, taking the count of such deaths in the state to nine, the official said.

Odisha's COVID-19 hotspot Ganjam district has reported 20 of the 34 deaths while the remaining fatalities have been registered in Khurda (seven), Cuttack (four) and one each in Puri, Bargarh and Angul districts, he said.

A total of 495 fresh COVID-19 cases have been reported from 24 districts on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 8,601, the Information and Public Relations Department said.

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Of the new patients, 355 were living in quarantine centres while 140 had come in contact with COVID-19 patients, it said.

The districts that reported a high number of fresh cases are Ganjam (216), Khurda (50), Sundargarh (36), Mayurbhanj (28), Angul (24), Puri (18) and Cuttack and Balasore (13 each), it added.

In view of the spike in positive cases and rise in death toll in Ganjam district, the Odisha government has appointed two IAS officers and 6 OAS officers in the district to contain the spread of the virus.

While the state's positive tally on June 4 was 2,608, it increased to 8,610 within a month on July 4. However, the state government refused to admit it as community transmission and claimed that the virus count increased due to rise in the number of coronavirus tests.

The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has declared complete shutdown of the millennium city till July 8 midnight in view of the increasing trend of the virus count.

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Of the 13 new positive cases in Cuttack district, 11 were reported from within the city forcing the CMC to impose complete shutdown.

The CMC authorities this evening sealed a private nursing home in Chauliagunj area after detection of six COVID-19 cases from the facility, a CMC official said.

Meanwhile, 229 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total number of cured persons to 5,934 which is 68.99 per cent of the total cases.

Odisha has so far tested 2,87,090 samples for COVID-19, including 5,567 on Friday, they added.

With new cases, fresh recoveries and deaths, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Odisha increased to 2,624, the official said.

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In view of the COVID-19 situation, the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) has banned this year's Kanwar yatra for 'Bol Bom Devotees'. They are restricted from carrying holy water to Shiva temple during the Odia month of Shravan (July-August, 2020), SRC P K Jena said.

State capital Bhubaneswar also recorded its highest single-day spike of 45 fresh COVID-19 cases.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), in an order, prohibited any kind of demonstration by any organisation, groups, and political parties in the state capital.

"It is seen that some organisations are participating in demonstrations before various public offices and in public places regarding different issues," it said .

As many as 17 of the state's 30 districts have imposed weekend shutdowns in view of the rise in the number of cases in the first four days of July.

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The Chief Minister Office (CMO), in a statement said, the state is passing through a crucial phase in the fight against COVID-19 and hence, it is very essential that all should obey guidelines and regulations issued by the state government to contain the spread of the disease. Violation of norms would lead to strong action, the CMO said.

During the last 24 hours, police have arrested 17 persons and registered 12 cases for violation of different regulations and guidelines related to COVID-19, out of which 11 cases are for violation of lockdown and one case is related to other issue. AAM RG SNE
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