BHUBANESWAR: With COVID-19 positive cases being reported from various districts of Odisha post double dose of the vaccination, the state government has urged the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), a unit of ICMR, to undertake a study on the impact of vaccines on the people.
"It is requested that RMRC, Bhubaneswar may carry out a follow up to assess the hospitalisation and severity among the COVID-19 positive individuals post vaccination as compared to non-vaccinated COVID-19 positive individuals," Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, P K Mohapatra said in a letter to RMRC, Bhubaneswar director Dr Sanghamitra Pati.
Mohapatra mentioned in the letter that the government have been urging people to get vaccinated, maintaining that the vaccine will not only protect one from contracting the coronavirus infection, but also will prevent its progression to a severe form and thereby reduce mortality.
These findings could provide valuable insight to inform on the future vaccination road map of the state, he said.
"In this regard, you (Director RMRC) may contact the designated hospitals treating COVID-19 to collect the relevant data for the COVID-19 individual," Mohapatra said in the May 28 letter, adding that the study may be taken on priority and findings may be shared at the earliest.
Official sources said that till May 29, as many as 76,05,646 doses of vaccines have been administered among the people of Odisha since beginning of the nationwide inoculation programme against COVID-19 on January 16.
Out of these 65.3 lakh were Covishield and 7.5 lakh doses of Covaxin till May 26.
Two days ago, the Vaccination Advisory Committee headed by Dr K Srinath Reddy and attended by Dr Devi Shetty, Dr Ramakanta Panda, Dr Subrat Acharya, Dr Lalit Kant, Dr Mrudula Phadke, Dr Datteswar Hota, Dr E Venkat Rao, Dr Sanghamitra Pati, had suggested to the state government some measures to contain the spread of coronavirus.
They suggested to the state government to go for vaccination to reduce the cases.