Odisha reports 1437 new Covid cases, 64 deaths in past 24 hours, test positivity dips below 2%

Bhubaneswar: Odisha reported 1437 new covid positive cases in the past 24 hours taking the total tally to 9,78,705 while the fatalities surged to 5966 with 64 more people succumbing to the virus.
The test positivity rate (TPR) in the state for the first time declined to less than 2 per cent to remain 1.9 per cent as 1437 tested positive out of 74735 tests conducted in the state in the past 24 hours.
The daily covid load also dipped to below the 1500 mark after a gap of almost 110 days as 832covid cases were reported from the quarantine centres and 605 local contact cases in the past 24 hours.
Khordha district recorded the highest number of 409 cases followed by Cuttack ( 190) and Puri (146). These three districts together accounted for 51.84 per cent of the covid cases.
As many as ten districts in the state registered single-digit covid cases and together accounted for only 50 positive cases.
Official sources said till midnight of July 31, as many as 1,60,97,412 samples were tested in the state and 9,78,705, almost 6.07 per cent of them tested covid positive.
The state witnessed 1899 people recovering from the deadly virus on Saturday taking the total recoveries to 9.56,828 registering 97.76 per cent of the total covid tally.
With 64 more deaths reported in the state during the past 24 hours, the fatalities in the state rose to 5966 which is 0.6 per cent of the total infections reported so far from the state.
Three districts such as Khordha, Cuttack and Bhadrak have reported eight deaths each followed by seven each in Puri and Sundargarh and four in Kendrapara district.
The active cases further declined to 15,858 which is 1.62 per cent of the total caseload in the state. Khordha and Cuttack district with 4556 and 2026 active cases respectively, accounted for 41.5 per cent of the total active cases in the state.
Although the test positivity rate of the state stands at 1.9 per cent, two districts namely Jagatsighpur and Khordha recorded 6 per cent and 5.2 per cent TPR respectively while the rest 28 districts recorded TPR less than 5 per cent.
During the last three months from May 1 to July 31 notwithstanding lockdown, night curfew and weekend shutdown, Odisha reported 5,24,098 covid cases and 4646 fatalities.
However, during the last three months,5,70,668 people recovered from the deadly virus.
Considering the decline in covid cases in the state, the Odisha government began the unlock process in the state and allowed Malls, Restaurants, Cinema Halls, Theatre, Jatras to operate with 50 per cent capacity from today.
However, the night curfew was imposed in the entire state from 8 PM to 6 AM till September 1 next. The weekend shutdown which was in force in ten coastal Odisha districts was extended only in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri towns in view of high positive cases being reported daily.
Official sources said so far 1,64,60,765 people have been administered with covid 19 vaccines in the state of which 1,25,49,338 had been inoculated with the first dose and 39,11,427 with the second dose vaccine.