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Odisha sets up over 1,400 beds to tackle rising number of Covid-19 cases

Hindustan Times, Bhubaneswar | ByDebabrata Mohanty | Edited by Anubha Rohatgi
Jul 12, 2020 11:26 PM IST

There are 5,577 beds in 35 Covid hospitals across Odisha, of which 4,287 are currently occupied. Similarly, of the 312 ICU beds available, 126 have been occupied.

Amid rising number of Covid-19 cases, the Odisha government has set up four more Covid hospitals with over 1,400 beds as more than 77 per cent of its beds in Covid hospitals are already occupied.

There are 5,577 beds in 35 Covid hospitals across the state, of which 4,287 are currently occupied. Similarly, of the 312 ICU beds available, 126 have been occupied.

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The ramping up of facilities came as Odisha on Sunday reported 595 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 13,121 infections. Three persons succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 64.

Among the dead was a 71-year-old journalist working for a Telugu newspaper in Gajapati district of Odisha, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. He is the second journalist of Odisha to succumb to the coronavirus disease after a 45-year-old reporter of an Odia daily in Ganjam district died earlier.

Till Sunday, the number of active cases stood at 4,287.

Additional chief secretary, health, PK Mohapatra said on Sunday that 1,441 more beds have been set up in four facilities including an existing Covid hospital.

In the two exclusive Covid hospitals in capital Bhubaneswar, all the ICU beds were fully occupied while only 14 ICU beds were available in the Covid hospital at Cuttack. However, health department officials said there is nothing to worry as the overall bed occupancy in all the ICUs of the state is only 36%.

The Covid situation in the state has increasingly turned serious as the recovery rate dipped from 72 per cent to 67 per cent over a week while the positivity rate hovered between 8 and 10. Of the 13,000-odd cases detected so far, over 5,500 have been recorded this month alone, indicating faster spread of the virus.

While the state government is struggling to keep the infection from spreading, there have been a series of violations of Covid-19 guidelines. On Sunday, a case was registered against a man in Gajapati district whose wedding was reportedly attended by around 1,000 guests.

On Saturday, the state government suspended the Naib Sarpanch of J Dengapadar gram panchayat in Polasara block of Ganjam district for doing a yagna in gross violation of Covid-19 regulations. Naib Sarpanch Krishna Chandra Jena and 10 others were arrested for the yagna that saw a congregation of over 500 people.

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