BHUBANESWAR: The number of fresh COVID-19 cases crossed the 200-mark in Odisha after two months as the state reported 214 infections from 24 districts in the last 24 hours.
This was the highest single-day spike in the state since January 14 when 222 cases were recorded. The daily caseload rose by 26 per cent from the previous day's count of 170 cases.
Health department sources said, of the 214 fresh cases, 126 were in quarantine and the rest 88 were local cases. Khurda reported the maximum 33 cases, followed by Sudargarh (27), Balangir and Cuttack (20 each), Bargarh (13), Balasore (11) and Dhenkanal, Koraput and Sambalpur (10 each).
With this, the tally soared to 3,39,460 of which 3,36,337 recovered. The active cases now stands at 1151. The test positivity rate (TPR) was 0.69 per cent as 30,729 samples were tested during the period.
Cases spiked in Khurda district after a number of infections was detected from some educational institutes and a hostel. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) collected samples from a group of students and their parents after one student of Kendriya Vidyalaya-1 tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
"The Class XII student's father had tested positive a few days ago and he had attended the pre-board examination on Saturday. All the students who appeared for the examination in the same room were asked to remain in isolation. Their test results are awaited," said a BMC official.
Meanwhile, the civic body authority has asked three students of a hostel to vacate it and remain in isolation after they tested positive. Samples of other inmates of the private institution's hostel will be collected and sent for testing.
Ravenshaw University at Cuttack has postponed UG and PG examinations, which were scheduled to be conducted from Thursday, after two students in a hostel tested positive for COVID-19. The city witnessed a surge in new cases with more than 100 people testing positive for the virus in the last one week.
Earlier, 33 students of Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB), a leading B School at Bhubaneswar, had tested positive prompting the BMC to seal the campus to prevent the spread of the infection.
On Wednesday, 33 people, including 29 residents of Brahmanpara village in Nuapada district bordering Chhattisgarh had tested positive for COVID-19 spreading panic in the locality.