BHUBANESWAR: A day after new cases fell below 3,000, the number of infections surged in the State with 3,456 people testing positive for COVID-19 in last 24 hours. The disease claimed 46 more lives. On Tuesday, the State had recorded 3,671 cases and 38 deaths. The test positivity rate that had dropped below five pc again rose to 5.2 per cent.
The State had conducted 65,845 tests. Health department sources said the district-wise daily case count, however, dropped below 500 for the second time in the last two months. Khurda continued to be at the top with 499 cases followed by 480 in Cuttack, 289 in Puri and 267 in Jajpur. With this, the tally soared to 8,86,946 and the death toll to 3,717.
The active cases dropped to 30,164 after 4,052 patients recovered on Wednesday. Meanwhile, State Health authorities have expressed concern over the detection of Delta Plus variant in some states and cautioned people to remain vigilant and cautious to prevent the next wave.
Backtracking from his previous statement, Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Prof CBK Mohanty said the Centre has issued warning to the states where the Delta Plus variant has been detected.
"The WHO and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have also flagged the new variant of concern. We are also on alert for the new virus strain. Although it has not been detected in the State so far, people should remain prepared to prevent any possible eventuality in the future," Prof Mohanty added.