Despite decline in COVID-19 cases, the rising trajectory of fatality continues unabated in Odisha as the State on Sunday registered 67 deaths in a single day, taking the toll to 5,512.

A total of 1,833 new virus infection cases were also reported in the last 24 hours at 2.58% Test Positivity Rate (TPR) pushing the tally to 9,67,548.

Over 50% of the total death toll has been recorded in the State in the past 55 days. As many as 2,758 Covid patients have succumbed to infection since 31 May at a daily average of almost 50 deaths. The surge in deaths had begun to emerge after the launch of the district-level audit for death recount.

The State’s health department stated that the daily death toll list does not reflect deaths occurring on a particular day. It lists details of past deaths for which the audit process has been duly completed and the cause of death has been identified as due to COVID-19, it added.

Khurda district, of which the state capital Bhubaneswar is a part, alone accounted for 24 fatalities with 15 deaths reported in Bhubaneswar.

Of the fresh virus infection reported from all the 30 districts in Odisha, Khordha district reported the highest 490 infections, followed by Cuttack (243) and Puri (139).

Currently Khurda and Cuttack districts are tagged in COVID Red Zone category with 4,672 and 2,524 active cases respectively while 26 districts are tagged accounting for less than 1,000 active cases.

Meanwhile the active cases have come down to 18,914 with daily recoveries breaching the virus infections. A total of 1,865 patients who were either home isolated or hospitalized recuperated from the disease in the past 24 hours while 9,43,069 have recovered from the disease so far.

Over 1.55 crore sample tests have been conducted so far, including 71,039 in the past 24 hours. Odisha’s positivity rate stands at 6.24 per cent.

The State’s recovery rate currently stands at 97.46% while active cases account for 1.95% of total positive cases registered in the State.

The State’s share is 3.08% in the country’s confirmed virus caseload while the active cases are 4.69% of India’s total active cases. The number of cured patients accounts for 3.09% of the country’s total recovery. Odisha has so far reported 1.31% of the country’s Coronavirus deaths.

Meanwhile three villages under Kurumpuri Gram Panchayat (GP) in Chhattisgarh-bordering Nuapada district have been placed under the containment zone restriction following fresh detection of COVID-19 cases.

The Kurumpuri, Sinapali and Ghatipada villages were declared as the containment zone with effect from 6.00 PM of July 24 till 6.00 PM of July 31 to contain spread of infections as covid cases were reported from a shelter house of elderly people.