Bhubaneswar (Odisha): In view of the global surge in corona cases, Odisha state health secretary Shalini Pandit on Friday wrote to the central government asking it to resume COVID-19 precautionary dose vaccination for citizens who have “missed out” and Are 18 years old. years or more in the state.
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In his letter to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Pandit said, “Till date, 8.14 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the state. Out of this, 3.52 crore (97%) doses have been given as earlier.” dose and 3.30 crore (91%) doses as a second dose to beneficiaries aged 12 years and above and 1.31 crore (41%) doses as a precautionary dose to citizens aged 18 years and above in the state .
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He also apprised the Center about the ‘non-availability’ of preventive dose vaccination and demanded the same.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary, @HFWOdishaWrote a letter to Ms. Shalini Pandit @MoHFW_INDIA asked for guidance on restarting #COVID-19 Precautionary dose of missed citizens aged 18 years and above in the state as all COVID-19 vaccines have been completely utilized. #OdishaCares– H&FW Dept Odisha (@HFWOdisha) December 23, 2022
“It is pertinent to mention here that all the COVID-19 vaccines supplied by the Government of India have been completely utilized by 28 November 2022 and at present, there is no vaccine stock in the State. There is a demand from citizens for the same. Because of the increase in COVID-19 cases in countries like Japan, USA, Republic of Korea, Brazil and China,” he said.
59% in Odisha are yet to take preventive dose
“Furthermore, out of 3.25 crore citizens aged 18 years and above, only 1.31 crore citizens have been vaccinated with the preventive dose, i.e. still 1.93 crore (59%) citizens to be vaccinated with the preventive dose in the state remains.” The minister has written in the letter.
Earlier in the day, he chaired a high-level meeting on the directions of the Central Government regarding COVID-19.
“The testing we have done will continue and whole genome sequencing (WGS) of all positive cases will be done,” he added.
Currently ILS, BBSR and RMRC, Bhubaneswar are conducting whole genome sequencing for COVID positive cases as a part of INSACOG consortium.
Meanwhile, a WGS facility has been set up at the Department of Biochemistry, SCB MCH Cuttack. It was also decided that SCB will apply to INSACOG for affiliation of their WGS laboratory with MCH INSACOG,” Pandit further added.
According to an official release by the Odisha government, the state is registering less than fifteen cases per day since November this year. The tests per million are much higher than the country’s level of 109 per million, the positivity rate in the state is only 0.05 per cent and there is not a single hospitalization in the ICU of any hospital in the state,” it said.