Demand for vax dips as experts allay fears

Bhubaneswar: The response to Covid booster dose in private hospitals has become poor in the state yet again after health experts said the impact of fourth wave (if any) will be self-limiting.
Days after the detection of Omicron’s new variant BF.7, people made a beeline for private hospitals to take the paid jab leading to an eight-fold rise in daily doses. While the private hospitals used to record 800 doses per day two weeks ago, it has now come down to around 100 now.
Bijay Panigrahi, director of family welfare department, said the response to the booster dose has witnessed a low again. Some people showed an eagerness to get the precaution dose after the news of BF.7 variant of the virus spreading in some countries hit the headlines. “Though India in general and Odisha particular didn’t show any rise in cases, people got the paid dose in the 12 empanelled private hospitals,” he said, adding that the Centre is yet to supply the vaccines.
So far in the state, 1,31,98,075 people have received the booster dose but around 59% of the eligible population has given it a miss. On Sunday, 105 people had received the jab in private hospitals.
Those above 18-plus and have taken both the doses, are eligible for the third dose. Last year in January, following the outbreak of the third wave involving Omicron’s BA.2 variant, people showed keenness to receive the third dose of the vaccine. However, the interest of people waned after the impact of the third wave fizzled out.
On Sunday, state health minister Naba Kishor Das said the Centre is yet to respond to the letter of the state government seeking vaccine stock for the booster dose. “We will procure if needs so warrants,” said Das.
He was responding to the statement of Union health minister Manshuk Mandaviya, who said the state can procure vaccines for booster dose if it wants.
Between January and April, only 147 doses of booster dose had been administered among the 18-plus beneficiaries by the private hospitals. The Centre started the country-wide drive to give the third dose to the 18-plus population in private hospitals on payment.