Odisha on Alert with Rise in COVID & H3N2 Influenza Cases

Bhubaneswar: Eleven new Covid-19 cases were reported from Odisha in the last 24 hours. This is the highest single-day spike in Covid infection in the last four months. H3N2 influenza cases have also gone up to 61 in the state.

The active COVID cases in the state have reached 32. Sources said most of the fresh Covid cases were from Khurda and Cuttack. The rise in Covid-19 cases in Odisha coincided with the Centre’s instructions to six states -Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, and Gujarat, which have been reporting higher numbers of cases for the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Health department has asked districts to intensify surveillance and issued an advisory asking people not to take medicines, especially antibiotics on their own and consult doctors.

Director of public health Dr Niranjan Mishra advised people with flu symptoms to immediately go for Covid test and isolate themselves to prevent further spread of infection.

Since people infected with the H3N2 virus exhibit symptoms similar to Covid-19 and suffer from fever, cough, and breathlessness, they were advised to opt for COVID test. If they are COVID-negative, they can go for H3N2 virus testing.

According to health experts, COVID screening has to be done as H3N2 is not that harmful to people unless they are having comorbidities.