Odisha government seeks 1.9 crore COVID vaccine for free booster dose drive

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has urged the Centre to supply 1.9 crore vaccine doses in phases for the free booster drive that commenced in the State on July 15 as the stock is expected to last only a couple of days. While over 26 lakh beneficiaries are due for second dose, 2.65 crore people aged 18 to 59 years will take the precaution dose.

The State has around 1.5 lakh doses of Covishield and 7.5 lakh doses of Covaxin. Since the number of beneficiaries requiring Covishield is more as compared to Covaxin beneficiaries and over one lakh people are taking precaution dose every day, the stock will finish by Wednesday.

In view of the fast eroding stock, the Health and Family Welfare department has written to the Centre to supply 1.72 crore Covishield and 18.73 lakh Covaxin doses to cover the target population by the end of August.    

Director of Family Welfare and nodal officer of COVID vaccination Dr Bijay Panigrahi said, the indent has been submitted to the Union Ministry of Health and the officials have assured to provide the vaccine doses as and when required.

"The Covaxin stock will last more than a fortnight. We need Covishield vaccine on an urgent basis for precaution dose as barring Bhubaneswar, the beneficiaries in the rest of the State have been administered with Covishield," he said.

While the first dose coverage among 18 years and above population is 166 per cent (pc), the second dose coverage is 95 pc against due beneficiaries in the Capital city. The inoculation of adolescents is also not encouraging as the first dose coverage among the 15 to 17 years age group is 82.7 pc (51,866) against a target of 62,680 beneficiaries.

The State has so far administered 5.27 lakh precaution doses to people in the 18-59 years age group. Along with 10 districts, Bhubaneswar is lagging behind in second dose and precaution dose.