Odisha has achieved a recovery rate of 89 per cent in its fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, 3,455 persons were declared cured yesterday taking the total recovery in the state to 2,13,672. COVID-19 positive cases have also mounted to 2,40,998 with a fresh addition of 2,995 patients.<br />'' <br />''While the daily discovery of COVID-19 positive cases continue to crawl behind the daily discharge of patients, the active caseload of the state has gone down under 30 thousand. Sample tests of about 36 lakh spread over eight months has come out with a comparatively low positivity of 6.75 per cent. Though the state has been reporting about 14 to 18 fatalities per day during the last few days, the death rate too lies dormant at a low of around 0.4 per cent.<br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Meanwhile, given the fact that about 78 per cent of patients are in home isolation, the chief minister has advised direct contact between the covid-19 patients and the healthcare personnel.  The government has also begun the Favipiravir antiviral therapy for home isolated patients in the corporation areas of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri, though in controlled conditions.</span><br />