COVID Vaccine Shortage Stalls ‘Tika Utsav’ In Odisha, Fresh Stock To Last A Single Day

Bhubaneswar: After 2.5 lakh doses of Covidhield on Saturday, another 2.7 lakh arrived in Odisha on Monday. This fresh stock, however, will last for only a day.

The state has not been able to observe ‘Tika Utsav’ and daily vaccination has come down to one lakh, Health Minister Naba Kishore Das wrote to the Centre while requesting for 25 lakh doses of vaccine to be able to inoculate 3 lakh beneficiaries a day.

The Centre had declared war against the second wave of COVID-19 with the four-day vaccination festival, beginning Monday, to cover maximum eligible people.

The day, however, saw 1.40 lakh people in the age group of 45 to 59 years receiving the jab in Odisha.

In a letter to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, he said that 1476 sessions were organised and around 2.71 lakh beneficiaries vaccinated a day till April 3. “The shortage of vaccine has forced the health department to close around 700 session sites,” he said.

Das requested Harsh Vardhan to ensure the supply of vaccines for at least 10 days as an emergency measure to enable the state to plan sessions and undertake the ongoing vaccination drive effectively.