Odisha prepared for COVID-19 vaccine: govt

The Odisha government on Monday apprised the Centre of its preparedness for mass vaccination of health and frontline workers against COVID-19 in the first phase. The state government informed the Centre of its planning in this regard at a national level review meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. The third phase human trial of Covid-19 vaccine candidate 'Covaxin' is underway at an institute in Bhubaneswar.

Special Secretary and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, Shalini Pandit said, "The database of the first priority group composed of health care workers (from both the Government and private health facilities) and front line workers under integrated child development scheme have been prepared and uploaded in the national Co-Win web portal." Names of nearly 3.2 lakh such health and frontline workers are in the list, Pandit said.

Additional Chief Secretary to the Health and Family Welfare Department, P K Mohapatra, said that around 8,300 vaccinators have been enlisted and 30,000 sites have been identified for administering the vaccination. Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said, "Odisha is now a step ahead in preparations for Covid vaccination in all parameters of the national guideline". He said that Odisha stands prepared for COVID-19 vaccination with prioritised list and it has also designed a multi-sectoral response system at different levels.

The ssessment for cold chain requirement, safe storage and transportation of vaccines has already been made, he said. Inventory of walk-in-coolers, walk-in-freezers, ice- lined refrigerators, deep freezers and others have been completed and steps are being taken to procure additional requirement. "Action is also being taken for initiation of procuring insulated vaccine vans for seamless supply of vaccines to the districts. The system for follow up of the unwanted medical occurrence after vaccination has also been worked out," Mohapatra said.

A state steering committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the chief secretary and a state task force committee has been formed under the additional chief secretary to the health and family welfare. The committees have already met to finalise the strategies of immunisation, Mohapatra said. Meetings of the district task force committees have already been conducted under the chairmanship of respective Collectors. Similarly, block-level task force committees have been constituted under the chairmanship of BDOs, he said.

Additional Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner P K Jena said that all arrangements have been done for setting up control rooms at the state, district and block levels with necessary connectivity and logistic supports.The state administration is in coordination with NGOs, NCC wings and civil society bodies for ensuring multispectral response, he said adding An open communication system with people have been put in place to curb any miscommunication". Tripathy said community leaders and representatives of panchayati raj institutions will be involved at grass root level to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination as a people's campaign.