E-Paper
In Odisha, another MLA tests positive for Covid-19.He is the 22nd lawmaker to get infected
On Friday, BJD MP from Nabarangpur, Ramesh Majhi too tested positive for Covid-19 and requested everyone who came in contact with him to get themselves tested. Majhi is the 4th MP from Odisha to have tested positive for Covid-19.
Biju Janata Dal MLA from Jagatsinghpur, Prasanta Muduli on Friday tested positive for Covid-19. He is the 22nd lawmaker from Odisha to be infected by the virus.
The 57-year-old MLA said, after developing symptoms, he went for a Covid-19 test on Thursday and tested positive for the disease. The MLA is currently under home isolation and said his condition was stable.
On Friday, BJD MP from Nabarangpur, Ramesh Majhi too tested positive for Covid-19 and requested everyone who came in contact with him to get themselves tested. Majhi is the 4th MP from Odisha to have tested positive for Covid-19. While Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan was the first to test positive for the virus, Suresh Pujari, BJP MP from Bargarh was the second. They were followed by Manjulata Mandal, BJD MP from Bhadrak.
Among the ministers, labour minister Sushant Singh was the first to test positive for Covid-19 followed by higher education minister Arun Sahoo and textile minister Padmini Dian.
BJP MLA from Nilagiri, Sukanta Nayak was the first among MLAs in Odisha to test positive for Covid-19. After him BJD MLAs Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Bishnubrata Routray, Susant Rout, Ananta Narayan Jena, Bikram Panda, Byomakesh Ray, Debi Prasad Mishra, Pritam Padhi, Sanjib Mallick, Sunanda Das, Srikant Sahu, Sudhanshu Shekhar Parida and Prasant Behera had tested positive for the virus.
Amid the rising infection among his MLAs, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has been attending meetings from his residence through video-conference where he is always seen wearing a mask.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government on Friday approved the establishment of new Covid-19 hospitals and additional facility in the district of Cuttack, Koraput and Khurda as the infection surged in those areas. Odisha has so far reported 1,16,678 cases of which close to 26,000 are now in various hospitals. In Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the 290 ICU beds are almost exhausted as the number of critical patients has increased.
Additional chief secretary of health, PK Mohapatra said a 200-bed Covid-19 facility in SCB medical college and hospital of Cuttack would be set up. Similarly, a 70-bed facility at Shahid Laxman Nayak medical college and hospital will be set up at Koraput. A 110-bed facility at Kanungo Institute of Diabetes Specialities of Bhubaneswar and 55-bed ICU in Aditya Ashwini Hospital of Bhubaneswar would be set up in next 7 days. In Cuttack, a 155-bed facility would be started at SUN Hospital of Tulasipur and 77- bed facility in Srusti Hospital.
All the Covid-19 hospitals will deploy adequate manpower and provide the required facilities for proper functioning of the ICU/HDU/OT/Labour Room/Dialysis.
