BHUBANESWAR : The Odisha government has decided to conduct 3.5 lakh vaccinations a day from next month as the Centre has doubled allocation of vaccine doses with an aim to cover a majority of the population by end of the year.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has promised to supply 68.13 lakh doses, including eight lakh doses for private hospitals in September.
The free supply of 60.13 lakh doses of vaccine included 51,69,280 doses of Covishield and 8,44,430 doses of Covaxin.
The State was supplied 54.92 lakh doses of both vaccines in July against the promised allocation of 30.51 lakh doses of free supply. Over 47 lakh doses of vaccines have been received so far in August though 33.72 lakh doses were allocated.
As the allocation was hiked on the basis of consumption and wastage rate, the State government expects the September supply will increase further if the vaccination coverage is ramped up.
The Health and Family Welfare department has asked districts and municipal corporations to increase the number of vaccine sites to accommodate more people.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has been asked to administer 30,000 doses per day. The target for Bhubaneswar urban has been increased to cover the beneficiaries due for the second dose.
More than one lakh people in the State Capital have missed their second dose. So far, the State has administered a single dose to around 53 pc of its targeted population.
Among the districts, daily inoculation of 28,500 people has been set for Ganjam, 20,000 for Cuttack, 19,000 for Mayurbhanj, 18,000 for Balasore, 16,000 for Sundargarh, 15,000 for Jajpur, 14,500 for Keonjhar and 14,000 for Puri.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said as assured the Centre has been increasing vaccine supply every month.
“We have decided to intensify the inoculation drive with a focus on beneficiaries due for the second dose, teachers, non-teaching staff and their family members besides pregnant women,” he said.
SEPTEMBER QUOTA
Assured doses 68.13 lakh.
Private share 8 lakh.
Covishield 51,69,280.
Covaxin 8,44,430.