Covid case in Odisha after 2.5 years: How State responded after first case in 2020

After a gap of two-and-a-half years, a fresh Covid-19 case has been detected in Odisha. 

The condition of the patient is stated to be stable. The infected patient has reportedly comorbidities.

Meanwhile, Health and Family Welfare Secretary S Aswathy has requested people not to be worried over the development.

According to Aswathy, the severity of the new variant has been less, and no new guidelines have been issued by the Union government.

"The patient is stable at present, but the only concern is that the infected person has several comorbid conditions. Till now, neither the Union government nor the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has issued any advisory on Covid-19 transmission," said Aswathy.

"The Health Department has been asked to monitor the situation, and we are alert," she added.

As per reports, sporadic COVID-19 cases are being detected in various parts of India, and the patients are found infected with a mild strain, with the possibility of severity being very low.

"We have nothing to worry about. We are monitoring the situation and are waiting for a fresh advisory from the Centre or the NCDC. Once we get it, we will take the necessary steps accordingly. The situation is completely under control and there is no need to worry," said Aswathy.

When Odisha reported the first COVID-19 case....

The first case of the Covid-19 pandemic was confirmed in Odisha on 16 March 2020.

The 31-year-old man who was infected with the virus had travelled to Italy. After coming back to Odisha, he was found infected with the virus and was subsequently admitted to the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

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The patient was put in quarantine in New Delhi following a screening at the airport, in which he showed no symptoms of the novel COVID-19. He then travelled by train from New Delhi to Bhubaneswar and arrived on March 12.

Later, he started showing symptoms, and after consuming medicines prescribed by the doctors for flu-like symptoms, he did not recover from the illness. Later, he went for a check-up at Capital Hospital, where he was admitted to the isolation ward.

His blood and swab samples were sent to the Regional Medical Research Centre RMRC Bhubaneswar, and the report showed positive.

The State government started collecting data of all those who had travelled with him by train on the day so that they can be tracked for quarantine.

First Covid lockdown in Odisha & other measures to curb pandemic

Odisha government had announced the first lockdown in the state due to the Covid pandemic on March 21, 2020.

The first lockdown came into effect from March 22. After this, there was regular extension of lockdowns which was later extended later into shutdowns.

Before enforcing lockdown, the state government took several measures for preventing the spread of Covid-19. Some of the key measures are- ordering both government and private hospitals to have dedicated Covid-19 isolation facilities, mandatorily register on Covid portal within 24 hours of arrival from foreign countries and home quarantine for 14 days, forming state crisis management committee, prohibiting strike of employees, closure of commercial establishments, suspension of bus services etc.