Bhubaneswar: The rapid spread of the new transmissible Omicron variant has led surge in COVID-19 cases in India. The country reported as many as 37,379 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, the biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases in the country since early September. The COVID-19 cases have been increasing in several States in the country.
Odisha is also witnessing rise in COVID-19 cases. As per the official data, the State recorded more than double cases in four days.
The State has registered 680 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, which is more than double of the cases reported on January 1. As many as 298 Covid-19 cases were reported on January 1, which increased to 424 cases on January 2. Another 424 cases were reported on January 3 too. The daily test positivity rate has also jumped to 1.31 per cent in the State from 0.77 per cent recorded on Monday.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Odisha has successfully mitigated the first two waves of COVID-19 pandemic with slew of measures to support the economic activities. The State has adopted a cautious approach towards the pandemic since the beginning.
In view of the possible outbreak of the third wave of the pandemic, the Chief Minister had appealed to the people to strictly follow COVID protocols and behave responsibly. He also directed the senior officials to remain alert and ensure strict enforcement of Covid-19 protocols across the State.
This new wave of Covid virus spread seems to be more infectious. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already warned that the new virus variant poses ‘very high’ global risk and may lead to surges with severe consequences.
Major cities in India have been experiencing increase in infections. The situation in Odisha is under the control. If the people will violate the COVID-19 guidelines, the State Government may take stringent measures, including lockdown and shutdown, said an official.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has convened a high-level meeting on Tuesday evening to decide the future strategy to control further spread of the virus.