Odisha on Tuesday registered 33 more deaths due to COVID-19, the highest so far in a single day, pushing the toll to 2,549 while the state reported yet another steep daily spike of 10,939 fresh infections at 17.56% Test Positivity Rate (TPR), which took the cumulative COVID tally to 7,14,380.

The rise in the fatality graph in the second wave has been evidently a worrisome development. As many as 606 have died of virus infections in the past 26 days, thus unfolding the disturbing trend of upward fatality graph with almost 24% of total COVID deaths have been reported in nearly four weeks’ period.

What also raises further alarm is that the State has recorded almost 30 percent of total positive cases in the last 20 days. While the State’s cumulative caseload stands over 7-lakh, as many 2,13,982 virus infections have been reported in the State since 5 May, when lockdown was enforced in the State. Since the past 20 days, 10,699 cases are being reported in the State at a daily average. Thus evidently the peak of the pandemic still continues notwithstanding the health authorities’ claim that contagion has reached a plateauing stage.

Amid surge in infection and upward death toll, the substantial rate of recoveries is the sole silver lining in the State’s battle against the pandemic. The COVID recoveries today surpassed six lakh-mark to reach at 6,01,224.

On Tuesday, the Khurda district reported the highest 1298 new infections, followed by Cuttack (922) and Angul (819).

The State’s recovery rate currently stands at 84.16% with as many as 6,01,224 cured of the disease so far. Odisha currently has 1,10,554 active cases, which account for 15.47% of total positive cases registered in the State.

As per the information posted at the COVID dashboard of Odisha government, 86 percent of the 30 districts are currently in the Red Zone category as the active cases in as many as 26 revenue districts have surpassed 1,000 count. Only four districts- Deogarh, Gajapati, Kandhamal and Malkangiri- come under Yellow Zone with less than 1,000 active cases.

Of the infected people in Odisha, 65 per cent are men while 35 percent are women. Of the total 7,14,380 covid-infected people in Odisha, as many 3,70,496 people are from 15-40 age groups accounting for 51.86% of the caseload.

The State’s share is 2.65% in the country’s confirmed virus caseload while the active cases are 4.28% of India’s total active cases. The number of cured patients accounts for 2.5% of the country’s total recovery. Odisha has so far reported 0.83% of the country’s Coronavirus deaths.

The state has so far tested 1,14,37,337 samples for COVID-19 including 62,261 on Monday while Odisha’s cumulative positivity rate is 6.25 per cent.