BHUBANESWAR: After a brief slump for three days, Odisha recorded close to 1500 COVID-19 cases -- the third biggest spike so far -- in the last 24 hours, raising the state's tally to 31,877.
A decline was observed in the incidence of the infection during the last three days when the cases came down from 1503 to 1215, 1068 and 1203.
However, the infections peaked again and 1499 cases were reported from across 29 districts of the total 30, posting a rise of around 25 per cent from the cases reported on the previous day.
According to the Health and Family Welfare Department, 56 percent cases were detected from four districts with the maximum of 368 cases emerging from Ganjam district, which has accounted for approximately a third of the state's infections.
Other districts that contributed to the tally are Khurda (214), Gajapati (97), Dhenkanal (92), Koraput (81), Sundargarh (74), Nayagarh (67), Sambalpur (56) and Kandhamal (50).
Besides, nine more coronavirus-related deaths were reported from six districts in the state on the day taking the death toll to 214. While eight patients succumbed to COVID-19, a 12-year-old girl of Keonjhar died due to acute peritonitis (inflammation of peritoneum tissue on the inner wall of the abdomen).
Of the eight fatalities, four were from Ganjam and one each from Khurda, Gajapati, Nayagarh and Sundargarh. The health department, however, attributed the deaths of 37 COVID-19 patients to other underlying diseases.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has decided to ramp up testing to at least 20,000 tests per day to find out more infections and isolate the positive cases in a bid to check the spread of the disease amid Unlock 3.0 which is likely to open up more activities.