Dr Srinath Reddy To Head Odisha Govt’s Special COVID Advisory Panel

Bhubaneswar: To effectively deal with the severe COVID-19 pandemic in Odisha, the state government has formed a high-powered advisory committee.

Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra informed mediapersons here on Saturday that the committee will be chaired by eminent doctor K Srinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and former head of the Department of Cardiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

Director Medical Education and Training (DMET) Dr CBK Mohanty will be the convener, while several eminent physicians like Dr Devi Prasad Shetty (chairman and founder of Narayana Health) and Dr Ramakant Panda (vice-chairman and managing director of the Asian Heart Institute) and medical scientists will be among members of the committee.

“The committee will advise the state government on proper management of COVID-19, vaccination and the possibility of a third wave. The advice of the committee will be implemented forthwith,” the Chief Secretary added.

Stating that the state government has floated a global tender for procurement of 3.80 crore doses of vaccines, he said that the bidders have been asked to ensure supply of the vaccines within four months. “If the bidding is successful, we will be able to procure the vaccines after May 28,” he pointed out.

Referring to the pandemic situation in the state, the Chief Secretary said that the positivity rate in 10 districts, mostly in western Odisha, has shown a declining trend during the lockdown.