Grappling With Vaccine Shortage, Odisha Receives 1 Lakh Doses Of Covishield

Bhubaneswar: Odisha received 1 lakh doses of Covishield on Thursday from Government Medical Store Depot, Kolkata.

According to sources, the consignment containing 28 boxes of vaccines arrived at Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar, by 9I 745 flight from Kolkata via Jharsuguda. Another 10 lakh doses are likely to reach the state on Friday.

Vaccination had come to a halt in over half of Odisha due to vaccine shortage. No inoculation drive could be conducted in 16 districts on Thursday and 11 districts the previous day.

Family Welfare Director Bijay Panigrahi told the media that while the state had more than 3 lakh doses of Covaxin doses till Wednesday evening, only 19,000 Covishield doses were in stock. Vaccines are being administered at only 114 sessions sites across the state and 72 among them in Bhubaneswar.

On June 28, Health Minister Naba Kishore Das had urged Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, for an urgent supply of Covishield vaccine to the state.

Serum Institute of India (SII), which manufactures Covishield, will provide eight lakh vaccines to Odisha, the sources added.