Vaccine Shortage Shadow On Immunisation Drive In Odisha; No Stock For 4 Days

Bhubaneswar: Odisha might have to stop its COVID-19 immunisation drive for four days, starting March 31, because of a shortage of vaccine doses.

Even after receiving 3.7 lakh doses on Tuesday and the scheduled arrival of another batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine, locally known as Covishield, on April 2, the state will have to do without vaccines from March 31 to April 3, informed Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra.

Also Read: Odisha To Receive Another 3.70 Lakh Doses Of Covishield Today

In his letter to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare dated March 22, he said that the state can run its vaccination drive until March 30 with the current stock of 8.2 lakh doses. “We will have no vaccines for four days,” he added.

Also Read: Amid COVID-19 Surge, Odisha Faces Vaccine Shortage!

Stating that around 1.25 lakh beneficiaries are being vaccinated every day, he urged the Union Health Ministry to supply adequate doses of Covishield vaccine on time for uninterrupted vaccination drive.

A total of 19,60,719 doses of vaccines have been administered in the state so far.