BHUBANESWAR: As over 23 lakh people in the State seem to have forgotten to take the second dose of Covid vaccine, the State government on Saturday appealed the eligible beneficiaries to get the precaution dose before September 30, after which people below 60 years may have to pay for it.
Sources said of the 3.25 crore people of 18 years and above who were administered Covid vaccines, around 80.9 lakh have taken precaution dose so far under the free booster dose drive launched by the Centre as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration.
Director of Family Welfare and nodal officer of Covid vaccination Dr Bijay Panigrahy said only 25 per cent of the targeted beneficiaries have received the precaution dose in the last 45 days. “As around 2.4 crore people are still to be administered with a precaution dose, we have urged people to come forward and get it. We do not know whether the Ministry of Health would continue to supply vaccine doses free beyond September 30. It is better to get it this month,” he said.
Apart from the precaution dose pendency, around 23.32 lakh people, including 15 lakh of 18 years and above and four lakh each in the age group of 12-14 years and 15-17 years, are due for their second dose.
Though the State has achieved 90 per cent (pc) coverage in second dose coverage, the coverage in districts like Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Angul, Puri and Sundargarh has been below 90 pc.
Dr Panigrahy said the second dose coverage in these districts were around 75 pc until a month ago and it was enhanced through special drives and door-to-door campaigns. “This is the scenario across the country. Odisha is among the top-five states in terms of precaution dose vaccination,” he added.