Bhubaneswar: While masks have returned amid rising coronavirus cases globally, Covishield will be now available in Odisha from January 19 under the national COVID-19 vaccination programme, the Health Department tweeted on Monday.
Beneficiaries have been advised to take 2nd as well as precautionary doses if due at select district headquarters and sub-divisional hospitals, community and primary healthcare centres.
In December last year, Health Secretary Shalini Pandit wrote to the Centre, requesting for re-commencing of COVID-19 precaution dose vaccination of the citizens, who are “left out” and are 18 years or above in the state, amid a surge in COVID cases in countries like China, US, Japan, Brazil and South Korea.
A total of 8.14 crore doses of vaccines have been administered in the state. Of these, 3.52 crore (97%) doses have been administered as the first dose, 3.30 crore (91%) as the second dose to beneficiaries aged 12 years and above and 1.31 crore (41%) doses as precautionary doses to citizens aged 18 years and above.
Notably, Odisha exhausted the vaccines supplied by the Centre by November 28.
