Despite sharply rising Covid-19 cases across Odisha, as many as 700 vaccine session sites have been shut in the State due to “insufficient” and “erratic” supply of vaccines from the Centre.
“The hitherto-massive vaccination drive has been halted in the State. A day after 400 vaccine centres had been shut, 700 session sites were closed on Wednesday due to shortage of vaccine,” informed Health Director Bijay Panigrahi on Thursday.
On Wednesday, total 1,10,889 doses of vaccine wered administered to people. Now, while 4,35,320 doses of Covishield vaccine are in stock, 1,14,490 doses of Covaxin jab are available in the State.“We estimate that the stock of 4,35,320 doses of Covishield and 1,14,490 doses of Covaxin will be exhausted in two to three days. We need 25 lakh vaccines for next 10 days. The vaccination drive was completely shut in Koraput district on Wednesday,” Panigrahi said.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Naba Kishore Das has written to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan informing him about the existing stock of vaccines in the State.“Due to shortage of vaccines, we have to close nearly 700 vaccination centres (out of over 1,400 functional sites). Only 755 could be made active today,” Das wrote to Dr Vardhan and asked supply of at least 10 days’ stock, which is 25 lakh doses of vaccine.
So far, 38,52,206 vaccinations have completed in the State.However, the Centre has rejected the claims by different States, calling these “baseless allegations”.Dr Vardhan alleged that the States are trying to cover their “failures” and spread panic among the people by demanding vaccination for all without first inoculating enough of the eligible beneficiaries.