A fortnight-long information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign about Covid-19 would be launched to educate people with co-morbid conditions, said Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy here on Tuesday.
Tripathy said the Government has decided to launch this particularly for elderly persons for containing the coronavirus spread.
The fight against Covid-19 would be a long one and needs regular intervention. Attention towards the elderly people is most important as 90 per cent of the positive cases in Odisha are asymptomatic. One must follow social distancing and wear facemasks. This must be followed till a vaccine is developed, he said.
The Chief Secretary said, “We are on the 62nd day of the national lockdown; and it is high time to take up matters in a planned manner. This is time for a campaign. A fortnightly campaign targeted towards the elderly is a part of Odisha’s efforts to keep coronavirus at bay.”
The fatality rate of coronavirus in Odisha is the lowest in the country at 0.46 per cent compared to national average of 2.86 per cent. The State having a population of 46 million has reported an average of 32.98 positive cases per one millennium population, Tripathy added.