Odisha CM Patnaik writes to PM Modi, gives 4 suggestions for Covid vaccination
Odisha has administered around 47 lakh vaccines till date, CM Naveen Patnaik said, adding that it has a capacity to administer more than 3 lakh doses on a daily basis.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic situation in his state and suggested four measures to improve the process of vaccination across the country. Naveen Patnaik said he was of the view that states and the Centre needed to align their forces and work together as a team to face the crisis and brought the issue of 'intermittent supply' of Covid-19 vaccine to PM Modi’s notice, reported news agency ANI.
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The state has administered around 4.7 million vaccines against the coronavirus disease to date, Patnaik said, adding that it has the capacity to administer more than 300,000 doses on a daily basis. "We are getting huge responses from people to get vaccinated. However, intermittent supply is creating a challenge in meeting the demand," he said in the letter, according to ANI.
Bring vaccine in open market
The Odisha CM demanded that the Covid-19 vaccines be made available outside the government supply chain in the open market so that citizens who can afford them can buy the shots on their own. This would reduce the burden of the government and allow it to focus on the vulnerable sections of society, he said.
Approve more vaccines
The vaccines, which have got approval internationally by credible agencies, should be cleared by the Indian government for use, he said. Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V was recently approved by India and the first batch of it will be delivered to the country in April.
Ramp up vaccine production
Vaccine production units should be ramped up with the help of the Centre and state governments and India's potential in manufacturing vaccines should be utilised to the maximum, he said, adding that the government should "run the extra mile" in extraordinary situations.
Big cities with large caseloads should be prioritised
In his last suggestion, the CM said metropolitan cities that contribute the most to the Covid-19 tally should be prioritised in the country’s vaccination drive and there should be flexibility in the age criteria in these regions. These cities are the "economic nerve centres" of the country, CM Patnaik said, and imposing lockdown here would impact the whole country in terms of "labour movement".