BHUBANESWAR: The capital city continues to be the single biggest cause of headache for the state government as it has not been showing any sign of a let-up in the daily Covid cases. It has been reporting more than 300 cases a day for the past three weeks. Since the number of recoveries in a day is almost on a par with the new infections, the active cases are also falling very slowly.
This despite the fact that the city is the only urban place in the state where all the eligible residents have been administered at least the first dose or both the doses of the Covid vaccines. This has baffled experts though the city authorities continue to blame the consistent rise on the floating population.
The health experts argue that Delhi and Kolkata have been able to bring the situation under control despite having a bigger size of floating population. Delhi, with 20 times the population of Bhubaneswar and having experienced the worst of the pandemic, had only 847 active cases as on Wednesday. It has been reporting cases in double digits with the TPR hovering over 0.1%. Kolkata, the capital of Odisha’s neighbouring state, had 1,217 active cases with just 87 new infections being reported on Wednesday.
The city has reported 2,125 new cases in the week between July 2 and Friday, with 303 cases, on an average, every day. Its active cases on July 2 were 1,307 and the latest count stood at 1,184. In one week, there has been a reduction of only 123 active cases.
“The cases in Bhubaneswar have been rising. The second wave is taking far too long to fizzle out here. Both the genomic and population studies have to be done immediately to ascertain the reasons for the same else the extended second wave will merge with the third, in case other parts of the state report one. It’s shocking that people are thinking that the virus is non-existent now. It is evident from their behaviour in the capital,” Dr Ashok Mohapatra, vice chancellor, SOA University, said.
Ajay Parida, director, Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), said, “It is a matter of grave concern that the daily new infection in Bhubaneswar are still on the higher side. The genome study so far reveals that after Delta Plus, no new variant has been detected here. Stricter enforcement is urgently required in the city as Khurda rural’s daily caseload is very low.”
The Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (Vimsar), Burla will get a second pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generator plant exclusively for the department of pulmonary medicine in the hospital soon. The new PSA oxygen generator plant with the capacity of 2,000 litres per minute (LPM) will be set up near the department of pulmonary medicine.
