Once a Covid-19 hotspot, Odisha's Sundargarh seeks vaccination ramp up

ROURKELA: Stung with the severity of the second wave and faced with the threat of a possible third wave, Sundargarh administration is planning to ramp up vaccination to protect the vulnerable population at the earliest.

Amid slow vaccination till May 30, the district has administered 4,17,274 doses to 3,61,983 beneficiaries in all age groups including 1,22,295 in the 18-44 category across Rourkela. Only 22 lakh persons of the total population (16.45 per cent) have been vaccinated since the beginning of the drive on January 16 this year. 

At this pace, it would take another 14-15 months to inoculate the remaining 13.77 lakh adult population in the district.

Rajgangpur MLA Dr CS Rajen Ekka, also a medical practitioner for 20 years, said as per the WHO calculations, India is staring at a possible third wave which will hit the child population hard. “We must keep a close watch on vaccination trial on children and simultaneously keep infrastructure and logistics ready in the district to cover all with no loss of time,” he added. 

With no clarity yet on success of global tenders to procure vaccines for the State, Ekka claimed that real death rate in the second wave in the district is mind-boggling and when real data gets fudged, it would inevitably lead to erratic action plan against overall management of the third wave.

According to available statistics, of nearly 9.24 lakh population in the 18-44 age group in Sundargarh, merely 1.22 lakh in and around Rourkela city got vaccinated in May alone in a special drive.

It remains a major challenge for the district to cover the rest adult population of 13.77 lakh and also keep vaccines ready for about 4.60 lakh children aged 0-18 years.

CDM and PHO Dr SK Mishra claimed the district is continuously receiving vaccines, adding some industrial and mining houses are also gearing up to procure and vaccinate their employees.