BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday announced to start vaccination of people in 18-44 year age group in nine more municipalities/NACs of seven districts from Monday. The districts have been given 1.13 lakh doses of Covishield and asked to utilise the stock within five days.
Though the Health department had expanded the vaccination drive for 18-44 age group to urban localities in all districts, the drive was halted due to shortage of vaccines. Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said the State received 2,25,400 doses of Covishield vaccine as part of its own procurement on Friday. “We immediately dispatched half of the stock to the selected districts so that they can start the inoculation in the next two days,” he said.
The vaccination drive will be carried out at Hinjlicut and Polasara in Ganjam, Paradip, Jajpur’s Vyasanagar, Khurda’s Jatni, Jeypore and Sunabeda in Koraput, Nuapada’s Khariar Road and Rajgangpur in Sundargarh. The State has a stock of 3.18 lakh doses of Covishield and 54,860 of Covaxin from the Central quota and 3.73 lakh doses of Covaxin and 4.23 lakh doses of Covishield from the State procurement. A total of 996 session sites have been planned on Saturday.