Odisha on Wednesday registered 59 deaths due to COVID-19, the highest so far in a single day, pushing the death toll to 4,358 while the state reported yet another below-3000 spike for the third day in a row with 2,602 fresh infections at 4.11% Test Positivity Rate (TPR), according to State’s COVID dashboard updated at 8.45 am.

As many as 1,56,056 COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the 37 days at a daily average of 4,217 cases in the State while 1,603 have succumbed to the infections during the period with daily average deaths of almost 43. Of the cumulative death toll, almost 36% of fatalities have been reported in the last 36 days.

Though, theoretically 58 deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours. But in practice, the toll figure presented on Wednesday included the fatalities in the past days as the Odisha government is currently conducting an audit in this regard. Allegations of under-reporting of COVID deaths flew thick and fast forcing the government to initiate a death audit in each of the 30 districts.

This list does not reflect deaths occurring on a particular day. It gives details of past deaths for which the death audit process has been duly completed and the cause of death has been identified as due to Covid-19,” the Health Department informed through Its Twitter handle.

The latest spike of 2,602 positive cases has pushed the State’s cumulative pandemic caseload to 9,29,788.

The Khordha district of which the capital city of Bhubaneswar is a part, topped the daily toll with 10 ten deaths followed by five each from Bargarh, Dhenkanal and Puri, four each from Ganjam, Nayagarh, Rayagada and Sundargarh, three each from Cuttack, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj, two each from Cuttack, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj. Angul, Jagatsinghpur and Koraput reported a single death in the last 24 hours, according to health and family welfare department officials.

The new Covid-19 cases were reported from 30 districts. While 1,495 are from quarantine centres, the remaining 1,107 are local contact cases.

The State’s COVID hotspot Khordha district reported the maximum 529 cases in the past 24 hours, followed by Cuttack (397), Jajpur (183), Puri (174), Balasore (164), Mayurbhanj (141).