odisha may be one of the poorest states in India but it has set an example of how to contain novel coronavirus epidemic. The Naveen Patnaik government of Odisha has put in place measures with timing and scale that helped the state keep the novel coronavirus cases in single digit till Wednesday.
Remember, even a missed case of novel coronavirus can leave thousands down with Covid-19. Patient-31 of South Korea is an example, being responsible for nearly 60 per cent of all cases in that country.
The Odisha government on Wednesday evening said total positive novel coronavirus cases in the state were five. Two of them have recovered leaving three active cases. The state has tested a total 900 people suspected to have Covid-19.
Return of people who attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi in March has come as a challenge to authorities in Odisha. The good news is that as on Wednesday, 15 of 20 of the returnees tested negative for novel coronavirus. Contact tracing for the returnees of Tablighi Jamaat congregation is still underway.
That Odisha has shown how to live up to the challenge is a story to tell at least on the basis of evidence till date.
Odisha took off early. It put in place an “action plan” to deal with Covid-19 situation early in March. It set up Covid-19 helpline number before lockdown was announced. The state machinery propagated this helpline number leading to thousands of people calling up to seek information about the coronavirus infection.
Leave a Reply