Odisha needs 15mn doses to immunise vulnerable 50-plus age-group

Bhubaneswar:2/1/21:As the country’s Covid-19 vaccination plan received a boost with the emergency use nod given to two vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin – by the Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Controller Organisation (CDSCO), the day also saw a massive mock drill in as many as 125 districts spread across all the states, including Odisha, in the country. Though the phase-3 trials of both the vaccines are undergoing, the DGCI had given the approval to deliver the shots to frontline corona warriors across the country. The vaccines will also be given to elderly persons in emergency conditions, observed a Union health ministry note.

When according to the vaccination plan made by the Union Health Ministry,  a total of 30 crore people across the country will be delivered the shots free of cost to fight the pandemic virus, how many would receive the shots in Odisha has been the moot question now. As per the Odisha government, in the first phase, the shot will be given to around 3.2 lakh corona warriors and high-risk elderly populace. The State government has decided to develop a whopping 29,276 centers for carrying out the operation of Covid-19 vaccination drive.

Moreover,  the State Health department data shows while 73 per cent of the total corona related mortalities in the State during the last month were due to existing co-morbid conditions of the infected patients, a high of around 35 have succumbed to the pathogen, despite not having any co-morbidities.

Among the most co-morbid killer conditions, diabetes and hypertension together accounted for around 87 per cent of Covid-19 corona virus deaths in the State, and another nearly 8 per cent deaths were attributed to chronic Kidney disease.