TNI Bureau:   India reported over 50,000 new Covid-19 cases – first time in more than 5 months, triggering panic across the country. Maharashtra reported 31,855 cases in the last 24 hours. In addition, 251 Covid deaths were reported across the country too.

Other States like Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana are also witnessing a surge in Covid cases.

Active cases in Maharashtra has risen to 247,299 while India has recorded 395,192 active cases as on today.

Odisha has also reported 200+ Covid cases for the first time in several months. Khordha district has reported 33 new cases, while Sundargarh (27), Cuttack (20) and Balangir (20) are the other districts with high number of new cases.

When it comes to active cases, Cuttack leads the pack with 175 cases followed by Khordha (149), Sundargarh (143) and Mayurbhanj (87). Active cases in Odisha has gone up to 1151.

Odisha had reported one Covid-19 patient with double mutant and 3 cases of N440K mutants in December 2020. They are not so infectious and dangerous, says ILS Director Dr. Ajay Parida.