Odisha to divert Covaxin doses meant for 45+ to 18-44 age group in Bhubaneswar

Last month, the Maharashtra government had diverted over 3 lakh doses meant for 18-45 age group to 45+ age group for their second dose.

Published on: Jun 6, 2021, 24:20:25 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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With very few doses of Covid-19 vaccine left for people in the 18-45 age group in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, the Odisha government has decided to divert the surplus Covaxin doses from the 45+ age group for the purpose.

Additional chief secretary of health, PK Mohapatra said the health department would soon issue orders on diversion of the Covaxin doses so that the entire BMC area can be vaccinated quickly. In Odisha, Covaxin is being given to only people in BMC area.

Till Saturday morning, Bhubaneswar had 2440 doses of Covaxin meant for people in the 18-45 age group while 4.58 lakh doses were left for people in the 45+ group. With the BMC prioritising people who are due for second dose, it is vaccinating only a handful people who booked their jabs for their first shot.

“We can divert the stock. We had earlier asked the Centre to give permission. However, as the Centre has not said no to our proposal, we plan to use the stock for the 18-45 age group. The doses can be adjusted once the state allocation is streamlined,” said the health secretary.

Last month, the Maharashtra government had diverted over 3 lakh doses meant for 18-45 age group to 45+ age group for their second dose.

The decision to divert the Covaxin shots meant for 45+ age group to 18-45 age group came after it was found that the number of people turning up for vaccination in the second group was higher than the first one. Though vaccination opened for 45+ age group from April 1, so far 3.4 lakh people in that group from BMC area have taken their first dose. In comparison, over 1.6 lakh people out of 5.17 lakh eligible in the age group of 18-45 have taken their first dose.

Bharat Biotech has committed to supply 26,000 doses of Covaxin for the 18-44 age group by June 7, but it would be grossly inadequate to meet the requirement.

The BMC has announced that students in the 18-45 age group who want to go abroad would be vaccinated. They can register themselves by dialling 1929 and a special vaccination drive will be launched for them.

So far, Odisha has received around 9.71 lakh doses of both Covaxin and Covishield for a targeted population of 17.22 lakh of 18 years plus in 11 cities. This includes 2.27 lakhs doses of Covishield vaccine that it received on Saturday evening. The state plans to cover 5.88 lakh people in the 18-45 age group in 11 towns - Angul, Balangir, Balasore, Bhadrak, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Chhatrapur (Ganjam), Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur.

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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