Covid Returns To Odisha, State On High Alert

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

Covid has returned to the state nearly after three years with six persons being affected with the dreaded disease. Health officials in the Odisha are a worried lot as resurgence of the disease has occurred at a time when the production of lifesaving vaccines like Covishield and Covaxin has been stopped since 2021 and 2022 respectively.

The Covishield was manufactured under licence from AstraZeneca by Serum Institute of India and country's first indigenous Covid vaccine was developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research. Indian health ministry said people should not panic as there is enough stockpile of vaccines. It may be recalled that nearly one billion people were vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin following outbreak of Coronavirus.The health experts,however, maintained that there is nothing to fear as those who have already got vaccinated in the past year might retain some degree of protection against illness. They are of the views that the rentention will work even if they are newly contracted. Reports said nearly 1000  active cases were recorded from cities like Lucknow, Mumbai, Varanasi and states like Karnataka and Arunachal Pradesh. India is witnessing surge in COVID cases, a total of 1,010 actives cases as on May 27, 2025. The situation in Karnataka is alarming as the state records 40 positive cases. Reports said though the situation in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Odisha has worried health officials of these states to certain extent, the preparedness to tackle the upsurge of Covid is satisfactory.

Odisha Situation:

The state has reported six new cases this month and first case is of a 75-year-old man. His case was detected in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Places like Khurda and the capital city Bhubaneswar also reported Covid cases. Director of Public Health, Dr. Nilakantha Mishra, has said that there is nothing to panic and added that the affected persons are being treated effectively.

According to Health Director Bijay Mohapatra, the infrastructure is fully geared up to meet the eventuality and added that the healthcare system is at the right place do deliver the goods.Free healthcare services launched by the government through erstwhile Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) card, now renamed as Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY), by present BJP dispensation in Bhubaneswar has come as a boon to nealy 70 lakh families in the state. The scheme offers annual health coverage of Rs 5 lakhs per family and the female members of the family entitled to get Rs 7 lakh.

Reports said the state health wing is geared up to handle coronavirus cases by conducting mock drills to prepare for the eventuality. All the hospitals across the state have been asked to keep ready and in  working condition of all the oxygen lines and ventilation systems along with essential kits like personal protective equipment and medications.

Awareness Initiatives By Odisha:

The government has already embarked upon awareness drives in different regions across the state to educate citizens to wear masks and keep themselves at safe distance from affected persons. The senior citizens and children are advised not to visit crowded areas and never hesitate to take early medication if they feel uneasy anytime. The government has further advised the general public to avoid huge gatherings such as public functions or celebrations where there are too much huddling. Odisha health officials said the situation is under control even though new subvariants of Covid in the country has kept them in high alert. They emphasized on the strict adherence to Covid protocol and cooperation of the communities across the state for better management of the resurgence of the dreaded disease. It is the prime duty of the general public to remain neat and clean and stay indoor if necessary to keep the Corona at bay, they added.The health officials said the state has enough stockpile of vaccines and other equipments to tackle the situation and exhorted the general public to stay safe with all precautions.

Genesis Of COVID-19:

It all began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, located in the central region, in December 2019. Corona was initially dected as a pneumonia-like illness. It was believed that the Chinese wet markets are primarily responsible for the spread of Corona as many patients were taken ill after eating meat and other seafood. This phenomenon established the fact that Corona could spread from animal to human.

After a hue and cry worldover, China reluctantly notified World Health Organisation (WHO) on December 3, 2019 about the dreaded disease. Although China closed its wet markets and started disinfection, January 2020 saw the beginning of the spread of the dreaded virus to different contries forcing the governments to take lockdown measures.The first death linked to Coronavirus was reported from China by January 11, 2020 and withing a few day the virus created havoc in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and other nearby regions of the Communist-ruled country. Health experts by mid-January established the fact that the dreaded virus could spread from animal to human. Although several theories were advanced on the outbreak of the dreaded disease, scientists believed that the virus originated from bats.It was widely believed that the virus might have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology that was studying coronaviruses. This theory gained momentum as the laboratory was located in Wuhan.

The Chinese city Wuhan was brought under lockdown on January 23, 2020 after more than 11 million people were affected and WHO declared Covid as a pandemic afterwards. The virus spread to different countries of the world by mid-2020. A high level delegation led by WHO visited Wuhan in 2021, the epicenter of Covid, and tried to investigate the origin of the virus. Although there were reports of non-cooperation by the Chinese officials for an impartial investigation into the spread of the killer disease, they later agreed for greatere transperancy after WHO and countries like US exerted pressure on China to give in for the cause of humanity. Although several theories are still doing the round, the actual origin of Coronavirus still remains a mystery even years after it surfaced. Virologists believed that it originated in Wuhan as some early cases being linked to wet markets but laboratory leaks are yet to be confirmed.

Precautions To Follow:

1.Pursue the habit of wearing a mask as was the wont during the outbreak of Coronavirus four years ago. This is a must while travelling in crowded vehicles and attending functions or marriage parties.

2. Thoroughly wash hands with soaps, handwashes and leave the foam for atleast for few minutes. Ensure that the sanitizer contain atleast sixty percent alchohol. One should wash hands as frequently as possible.

3. Social distancing is a must, stay safe from affected persons.

4. Always try to avoid touching face, eyes, nose and mouth as these are believed to be the entry points for the dreaded Coronavirus.

5.Try to disinfect your latches of doors, mobile phones and other electronic appliances of daily use.

6. Keep away from the affected persons at home and try to arrange a separate lavatory for use.

7. Take booster doses for extra safety

8. Regularly keep track of Coronavirus symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat and respiratory complications.

9. Confine yourself at home if affected.

10. Adhere to all the guidelines announced by the administration or government from time to time.