ROURKELA: While low rate of hospitalisation and fewer critical cases have come as a relief during the third wave of Covid-19 in Sundargarh, the health administration is faced with the double whammy of infection surge and poor vaccination in rural pockets of the district.
Although daily new cases are gradually declining, authorities do not want to risk the third wave.
Between January 15 and 30, the district reported 16,529 Covid cases of which rural pockets accounted for 8,618 cases (around 52 per cent).
Rourkela and three other urban pockets accounted for 48 per cent cases.
This is a marked deviation from the first and second waves when Rourkela city alone was reporting 60 to 80 per cent cases of Sundargarh.
Sources in the Health and Family Welfare department have attributed the virus surge in rural areas to arrival of native migrants for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
They said, compared to 3,380 active cases till Monday, the hospitalisation rate was very low with total 121 patients occupying 70 general beds, 43 oxygen beds and eight on ventilator support.
What is worrying in this trend is the vaccination lag in the interior pockets.
It is learnt, 1.87 lakh adult population, majority from rural pockets, was still not vaccinated till Sunday, while the gap between first and second doses is about 4.42 lakh.
The district in the third wave so far has officially reported 12 deaths with most suffering from co-morbidities and underlying health conditions.
Sundargarh Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) Dr SK Mishra said continuous efforts are underway to increase rural vaccination with targeted interventions to stop the infection spread.
Meanwhile, the district administration has issued an order to administer precaution dose to election duty personnel who completed their second dose three months back.
Till now, half of about 1.15 lakh teenagers in 15-18 age group have received first dose.