Odisha aims to inoculate 100% adults in Bhubaneswar by August end

Odisha says 57% of Bhubaneswar’s adults have received both doses of the Covid vaccine Covaxin. Of the remaining people, 98% have received their first dose.

Published on: Jun 29, 2021, 01:00:14 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar will complete vaccination of all adult residents by the end of August, a senior Odisha health official said on Monday.

Odisha: People stand in a queue to take a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Loyola school vaccination centre, in Bhubaneswar (ANI)

A health department official said 57% of the state capital’s 8.42 lakh adults have received both doses. Of the remaining people, 98% have received their first dose of Covaxin.

In contrast, Bengaluru, which tops the list of cities where the largest proportion of people have received the first vaccine dose, has covered 29% of its adult population, followed by Chennai (25%), Mumbai (18%), Delhi, and Hyderabad (16% each). However, at 8%, it is Chennai that has the highest number of fully vaccinated people than other metros such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, according to CoWIN data.

Bhubaneswar municipal area is the only place in Odisha where Covaxin vaccine is being administered; the rest of the state is getting Covishield.

Additional chief secretary of health PK Mohapatra said at least 30,000 doses are being planned everyday except on gazetted holidays to cover the 3,64,464 beneficiaries awaiting their second dose and 18,341 who have not been vaccinated at all.

“We have more than 4.13 lakh doses of Covaxin with us and would be able to vaccinate everyone (in Bhubaneswar) by the end of August,” said Mohapatra.

Since the gap between the first dose of Covaxin and the second dose is around 4-6 weeks. Mohapatra said if they are able to administer the first dose of Covaxin latest by mid-July, it would be possible to ensure that the entire population is vaccinated by end of August.

The vaccination coverage drive in Bhubaneswar picked up speed earlier this month when the municipal corporation started several community-based vaccination plans. The BMC also started Covid-19 testing before administering vaccines at mobile camps to prevent giving jabs to people who test positive for Covid-19.

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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