More doses to reach Odisha: Health secy

In a letter to Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Friday, Odisha health secretary PK Mohapatra said that due to insufficient vaccine quantities, the government was unable to plan vaccine sessions.

Published on: Mar 28, 2021, 05:06:58 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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The central government on Saturday said that adequate quantities of Covid-19 vaccines will be provided to Odisha based on the pace of vaccination in the state, a day after the state health secretary blamed an erratic supply of doses for its low immunisation numbers.

Earlier this week, the Centre announced the expansion of vaccine coverage to include people over 45 years of age, irrespective of comorbidities. (HT Photo)

In a letter to Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Friday, Odisha health secretary PK Mohapatra said that due to insufficient vaccine quantities, the government was unable to plan vaccine sessions.

“While several states are doing 3 lakh vaccinations a day, Odisha is unable to cross 1 lakh due to shortage of vaccine. We are planning to increase our vaccination to 2 lakh shots a day and complete the target before the weather becomes severe,” Mohapatra said in his letter.

Also read | Over 59.4 million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in India, says government

Earlier this week, the Centre announced the expansion of vaccine coverage to include people over 45 years of age, irrespective of comorbidities. There are nearly 10 million people over the age of 45 in Odisha.

Responding to Mohapatra’s letter, Bhushan said that of the 3,446,760 doses of Covid-19 vaccines supplied to Odisha till March 27, about 2,297,431 doses were administered to a total of 2,167,956 eligible beneficiaries. Odisha is left with 1,149,329 doses, he said.

“In Odisha, a total of 207,229 beneficiaries have been vaccinated in last 3 days resulting in daily average vaccination rate of 69,076 beneficiaries. The ministry has been constantly reviewing daily and allocating vaccine based on the progress of vaccination in all states and union territories. The ministry has already allocated an additional supply of 548,250 doses, which will reach Odisha on March 28, 2021,” he said.

On Saturday, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said he spoke with Union health minister Harsh Vardhan regarding the availability of Covid-19 vaccines in Odisha. “Dr. Harshvardhan assured me that there is no dearth of availability of doses of Covid-19 vaccines,” Pradhan tweeted.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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