Another 21 NDRF/ODRAF/Fire Service personnel test COVID-19 positive in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Another 21 personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)/Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF)/Fire Services tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha, informed State Information & Public Relations (I&PR) Department today.

They are among 112 new COVID-19 cases reported from 18 districts in Odisha today.

The NDRF/ODRAF/Fire Services personnel were deployed on Cyclone AMPHAN duty in West Bengal. They were under quarantine after return from the neighbouring State. The swabs of the personnel were collected from the quarantine centres and the result came out positive for COVID.

With this, total 136 NDRF/ODRAF/Fire Services personnel have been infected with the deadly virus in Odisha.

Yesterday, the I&PR Department had informed that 54 personnel of NDRF/ODRAF/Fire Services were found positive for COVID-19 during test conducted on June 10.

Earlier, 49 personnel belonging to the third NDRF battalion at Mundali in Cuttack and 12 personnel of Odisha Fire Services engaged on duty in Cyclone AMPHAN-ravaged West Bengal had tested positive for the deadly virus.

With increasing cases of COVID-19, Odisha’s tally now surged to 3498, of which 1131 are active cases and 2354 recovered cases so far. Today, one more COVID-19 patient succumbed while undergoing treatment at a COVID hospital in Ganjam district. As of now, the virus has claimed 10 lives in the State.