Odisha News: Two new Covid cases reported, experts demand more testing

Bhubaneswar: Amid rising coronavirus cases in various states, two new COVID cases were reported in Odisha in two days, taking the total to three in three days. Health department sources said two cases were detected from Cuttack, while one was found positive in Khurda district. The patients have mild symptoms and are undergoing treatment in home isolation.

As there is concern over the emergence of a new sub-variant of Omicron, JN.1, health officials have asked the concerned districts to analyze the travel history of the three patients. Director of Health Services Dr Bijay Mahapatra said, “Samples of three patients have been sent for genome sequencing to detect the presence of the JN.1 variant. There is no need to panic. But everyone should remain alert and get a Covid test if symptoms develop.”

However, health experts have expressed concern over the decline in testing in Odisha, while the Center in its recent advisory had asked all states to increase surveillance and ensure adequate testing to detect as many cases as possible to prevent further spread. Can go. Khurda’s case was found among 133 samples sent for RT-PCR tests. While the first two cases were detected from around 500 samples, the number of tests has dropped from around 300 per day last week to less than 150 on Monday.

Senior medical expert Dr Niroj Mishra said, if the test positivity rate is around one per cent considering the testing data in the last 24 hours, then the government should conduct Covid testing of all people with symptoms coming to various hospitals. “At the very least, people found to be suffering from the virus can be cautioned to isolate at home and help prevent the spread. The government may also think of vaccinating the elderly and people with co-morbidities with another booster shot to reduce the severity,” he suggested.