BHUBANESWAR: The Phase III of Covid-19 vaccination for people of the 18-44 age group was formally launched with 6,420 beneficiaries being administered the first dose of Covaxin in Bhubaneswar on Monday. A large number of young people were seen standing in queues outside the government health facilities braving the scorching sun. Only those who had registered through CoWIN portal got the jabs.
While the vaccination for the people aged 18 plus took place between 8 am and 1 pm, those above 45 years received the shots from 3 pm to 6 pm. The vaccination of 45 years and above was badly hit across the State due to shortage of Covishield. Health department sources said 1,253 vaccination centres were shut down in the State due to unavailability of Covishield doses. Only 34,502 doses of Covishield were administered to beneficiaries through 247 centres in 26 districts and there was no vaccination in Cuttack, Boudh, Koraput and Sambalpur.
The State government has sought 25 lakh doses of Covishield in a single lot though it has not received any communication from the Centre regarding the schedule of dispatch.Since the second dose of 8,90,918 beneficiaries is due as on April 29, the government is in a catch-22 situation how to handle the crisis if vaccine is not made available on time.The State has so far administered 59,04,314 doses and it has a stock of 19,900 doses of Covishield and 3,15,530 doses of Covaxin from the Central quota besides 1,43,500 doses of Covaxin from its own procurement for 18-44 years age group.
Meanwhile, the Health and Family Welfare department has directed the collectors, municipal commissioners and CDMOs to prioritise second dose vaccination and administer the first dose to left out frontline and healthcare workers if vaccine remains available after catering to the second dose beneficiaries.“After saturating the requirement of second dose, the HCWs, FLWs and beneficiaries of other categories can be covered,” stated an order.
The government has also made it clear that the beneficiaries of 45 years and above, who had taken the first dose in private set up, can get the second dose at government health facilities free of cost.Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said it has also been decided that the vaccination will be conducted from Monday to Saturday during the lockdown from May 5 to 19 and all centres will be sanitised on Sundays. People can use their private vehicles to come to vaccination centres during the lockdown, he added.
The Centre has committed to provide 4.78 lakh doses of Covishield by May 15 of which one lakh doses are expected to reach on Tuesday.The vaccination of 18 plus age group in other parts of the State may also start soon as the Serum Institute of India has informed the government that it will supply 2.2 lakh doses of Covishield in next two days.
Journalists vaccinated
Bhubaneswar: Around 170 journalists of different age groups were administered Covaxin on the first day of third phase vaccination drive here on Monday. The journalists were inoculated in two different slots at a special camp organised by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). This came a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared journalists as frontline Covid warriors. Patnaik had stated journalists are doing a great job by providing seamless news feed and making people aware of coronavirus related issues. The move will benefit 6,944 working journalists covered under Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yolanda, the CM had said. BMC officials, meanwhile, said the vaccination of the scribes will continue at at Unit-6 Girls High School in the city on Tuesday.