BHUBANESWAR: As Covid infections declined across the districts making people complacent about the disease, Odisha government is now struggling to achieve its daily target of four lakh inoculations. After the Centre doubled the vaccine allocation in September, the Health department had set the target to inoculate four lakh doses a day. But barring a couple of days, the daily inoculation has been less than 3.5 lakh and sometimes below three lakh in the first week of October.
Sources said people in five districts - Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Balangir, Kandhamal and Nuapada - are not turning up for second dose despite several reminders through SMS and follow up by local healthcare workers. While 8.73 lakh people have been administered the first dose in Balangir, only 1.93 lakh got the second dose. In Nabarangpur, 6.09 lakh have got the first dose and 1.31 lakh second dose.
Similarly, 3.86 lakh beneficiaries have received the first shot and 89,558 got both the shots in Nuapada, 3.47 lakh first dose and 1.15 lakh second dose in Kandhamal and 2.75 lakh first dose and only 87,078 second dose in Gajapati district. The inoculation proportion in Jajpur, Keonjhar, Koraput, Bargarh, Malkangiri, Boudh, Deogarh and Kalahandi is no better as a large number of people are yet to be administered with the second dose.
Director of Family Welfare and nodal officer of Covid-19 vaccination Dr Bijay Panigrahi said 23,89,276 people are due for second dose in the State. While the second dose coverage is less than 60 per cent (pc) in five districts, it is above 70 pc in the rest of the districts. The beneficiaries are being counselled for second dose vaccination, he said.
Meanwhile, the Centre has allocated 69.13 lakh vaccine doses for October. The free supply of vaccine included 56.65 lakh doses of Covishield and 12.47 lakh doses of Covaxin.The State was supplied 66.24 lakh doses of both vaccines, including 57.69 lakh doses of Covishield and 8.55 lakh doses of Covaxin in September against the promised allocation of 60 lakh doses of free supply.
So far, the State has administered a single dose to around 73 pc of its targeted population. While 2.29 crore people have received the first dose, 90.36 lakh beneficiaries have been fully vaccinated. The State has reported 453 new cases and three deaths in the last 24 hours. Seven districts recorded no new cases during the period.
SECOND DOSE ISSUES
Coverage below 60 % in Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Balangir, Kandhamal and Nuapada
Above 70 % in remaining dists
VACCINE IN STOCK
21.47 lakh doses