Odisha on Friday reported 1,917 Covid infections, taking the number of active cases to 19,261. The number of deaths rose to 5,377 with 69 fresh fatalities
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday asked officials to remain prepared for the third Covid-19 wave likely to hit the state by August-end. “Though...(the) positivity rate has been under control in the state for the last few weeks, the situation is yet to improve in some districts. Health care is the top priority and if the third wave comes by the end of August, as predicted by scientists, the state will have to deal with the situation. Considering this, the officials should remain alert,” he said after a review of the Covid situation.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. (File photo)
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Odisha on Friday reported 1,917 Covid infections, taking the number of active cases to 19,261. The number of deaths rose to 5,377 with 69 fresh fatalities.
Patnaik said even though the pandemic situation is under control, this is no time for complacency. “Only by remaining alert, we will be safe. Therefore, people should strictly adhere to Covid-19 guidelines and not crowd places.” He said the state government is emphasising on investing in human resources along with strengthening the health care infrastructure. “The district administration has a responsibility to ensure that people are able to access health care without any hassle. It is the core responsibility of everyone, including police station inspectors, block development officers, sub-divisional police officers, sub collectors, superintendents of police and district collectors to ensure that there is no problem in health care delivery right from district headquarter hospitals to the community health centres in blocks,” he said.
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Patnaik said Odisha has spent around ₹2,004 crore to support the poor, especially small farmers, construction workers, tribal families, Scheduled Castes, tribal students and street vendors during the second wave of the pandemic.
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Patnaik said Odisha has spent around ₹2,004 crore to support the poor, especially small farmers, construction workers, tribal families, Scheduled Castes, tribal students and street vendors during the second wave of the pandemic.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
