BHUBANESWAR: Odisha reported its first Covid-related fatality of the season after an 85-year-old man from the capital city succumbed at his residence on Saturday.
Sources said swab samples of the elderly man was collected and sent for tests after he developed symptoms and fell sick. His test reports confirmed that he was positive for SARS-CoV2.
Odisha has reported a total of eight Covid cases in May. The tally includes five from Bhubaneswar, two from Cuttack and one from Khurda. Other patients are in stable condition and are recovering well, sources said.
Director of public health Dr Nilakantha Mishra said he has been informed of the death and has asked officials to inquire into it. “An audit will be conducted to ascertain whether the elderly man had comorbidities, and the primary cause of his death,” Mishra told TNIE.
So far, 3,395 Covid cases and 22 deaths have been reported in May in the country.
In Odisha, recent genome sequencing has identified LF.7.9 and XGF as the dominant sub-variants in circulation. WHO has classified these as variants under-monitoring.
Health secretary Aswathy S urged people to remain vigilant but not panic. She emphasised that the circulating variant has not led to any serious complications among patients so far.