High Covid-19 death rate in Odisha remains a cause of concern for the state government even though the number of positive cases is on the decline. The state recorded 67 more deaths due to the pandemic in the last 24 hours taking the total death toll in the state to 5,308.

Health and family welfare department, however, clarified that the daily list of deaths does not reflect the fatalities occurring on a particular day. They also reflect past deaths with figures being released following the completion of the audit process.

Opposition parties have accused the government of suppressing the actual number of Covid deaths in the state and demanded a white paper on the issue.

The pandemic situation is particularly worrisome in districts such as Khurda under which the state capital falls. Of the 67 new deaths reported in the state during the last 24 hours Khurda accounted for 20, including 13 from the capital city of Bhubaneswar. This was followed by 8 deaths in Balasore, 7 in Bargarh, 6 in Nabarangpur, 5 each in Angul, Puri and Rayagada, 4 in Dhenkanal, 2 each in Kandhamal and Mayurbhanj and one each in Kalahandi, Kendrapara and Nuapada districts.

With this, the Covid toll in Khurda district has reached 977 deaths followed by Sundargarh (458), Ganjam (424), Puri (317), Cuttack (315), Bargarh (268), Angul (211), Kalahandi (194), Mayurbhanj (193), Balasore (170), Rayagada (157), Sambalpur (154), Nayagarh (141), Jharsuguda (137), Kendrapara (119), Dhenkanal (106) and Keonjhar (100).

On the other hand as many as 1948 more persons tested positive for Covid-19 during the last 24 hours in the state. Test positivity rate (TPR) in the state, which tested 79,372 samples in the last 24 hours, stood at 2.45 per cent. Khurda district registered the highest number of 480 fresh infections, followed by Cuttack (279) and Jajpur (115).

High caseload in some areas of the state also continues to bother the central government, which had sent a two-member expert team to Odisha a few weeks ago to study the situation.

The state government has stepped up precautionary measures with enhanced vigil on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border as cases in the neighbouring state are once again on the increase.

Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court will hear a petition on the alleged under counting of Covid-19 deaths in Odisha on July 28.

Vaccination drives in the state are also being ramped up to contain the spread of the disease.

“The vaccination programme in Odisha is quite successful. The wastage of vaccine is almost nil in Odisha,” said additional chief secretary, health and family welfare department, P.K. Mohapatra.