Odisha's COVID-19 death toll rises to 12; 179 new cases detected

Bhubaneswar, Jun 20 () A 60-year-old man from Puri district became the latest COVID-19 fatality in Odisha, raising the death toll due to the contagion in the state to 12, a health department official said on Saturday.

Odisha also recorded 179 new cases of the respiratory ailment, including 18 disaster response personnel, he said.

"Regret to report the death of a 60-year-old COVID positive male of Puri district while under treatment at hospital," the Health and Family Welfare Department said in a statement.

"The deceased was also suffering for long from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," it said.

With the detection of the new cases, Odisha's COVI9-19 tally rose to 4,856, the official said. The state has 1,543 active cases, while 3,297 patients have recovered.

Ganjam district reported the highest number of fresh coronavirus cases at 57, followed by Khurda at 27.

Fifteen of Odisha's 30 districts have reported over 100 cases each, officials added.

Meanwhile, National Disaster Response Force DG S N Pradhan said in a tweet 50 personnel have so far recovered. Eleven fire service personnel have also been cured. AAM RBT ABH ABH