Odisha: Five more test Covid +ve, TPR 1.7 per cent

BHUBANESWAR: In the last 24 hours, Odisha has recorded five new cases of Covid-19. However, the increase in test positivity rate, which has risen from 0.1 per cent in the third week of December to 1.7 per cent now, is cause for concern. According to sources from the health department, these new cases were found out of 295 samples tested during this time. However, they believe that the increase in the positivity rate is due to a decrease in the number of tests conducted, which has dropped from approximately 600 to under 300. Districts that have not followed previous guidelines regarding testing have been alerted and urged to increase testing according to the established protocol. After one patient recovered, the total number of active cases is now 24. Dr Niranjan Mishra, the Director of Public Health, has revealed that only one individual has been hospitalised, while the other 23 infected individuals are receiving treatment at home. He said, "The elderly patient with underlying health conditions is now in a better condition after being hospitalised. We have been consistently reminding those with pre-existing conditions and the elderly population to stay vigilant and wear face masks while outside." However, the JN.1 sub variant has not yet been identified in Odisha. The results from the initial phase of genome sequencing are expected within the next two days.