COVID 3rd Wave to reach Peak in Odisha around January-end: Top Official

Bhubaneswar: The third wave of COVID-19 may reach its peak in Odisha around January-end, said Health Services Director Bijay Mohapatra today.

“COVID-19 cases are rising in the country and the state. Most of the cases in Odisha are being detected from 4-5 districts. Omicron variant of the virus is present in all districts of the state,” he said.

“Some experts are saying that Mumbai and Delhi will witness the peak of the third wave by January 15. Accordingly, our state is likely to experience similar situation within the subsequent 10-15 days, around the end of this month,” said  Mohapatra.

“Meanwhile, we have increased COVID-19 testing and vaccination besides intensifying surveillance. People shouldn’t take the situation lightly as the infections are surging rapidly,” the official added.

As many as 4829 more persons, including 448 children below 18 years of age, tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha during the last 24 hours.

Khurda district registered highest 933 fresh infections, followed by Sundargarh (869) and Sambalpur (644).

With this, the COVID-19 tally in the state reached 1075698 with 20560 active cases.

Below are district-wise figures of the new cases.

1. Angul: 69
2. Balasore: 210
3. Bargarh: 84
4. Bhadrak: 69
5. Balangir: 104
6. Boudh: 6
7. Cuttack: 401
8. Deogarh: 19
9. Dhenkanal: 23
10. Gajapati: 32
11. Ganjam: 49
12. Jagatsinghpur: 46
13. Jajpur: 66
14. Jharsuguda: 189
15. Kalahandi: 48
16. Kandhamal: 8
17. Kendrapara: 24
18. Keonjhar: 63
19. Khurda: 933
20. Koraput: 77
21. Malkangiri: 11
22. Mayurbhanj: 162
23. Nabarangpur: 85
24. Nayagarh: 24
25. Nuapada: 51
26. Puri: 130
27. Rayagada: 82
28. Sambalpur: 644
29. Sonepur: 32
30. Sundargarh: 869
31. State Pool: 219