Odisha all set for vaccine drive

Bubaneswar, Jan 16: The Odisha government is in readiness to vaccinate as many as 16,100 health care workers on Saturday at 161 sites spread across the state, officials said.

The inoculation drive will begin in all the centres as soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the vaccination programme at 10.30 am on Saturday, a senior health department official said. "The vials have already reached all the cold-chain points and a five-member team has been readied to start the vaccination programme at all the places," Prof CBK Mohanty, Director of DMET (Directorate of Medical Education and Training) told reporters here.

The phaseI vaccination drive in the state will continue for over 12 days, the official said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will join the 161 vaccination sites via video conferencing, said State Vaccine Nodal Officer Bijaya Kumar Mishra.

Health and Family Welfare Department Director and Odisha Vaccine In-Charge Bijay Panigrahi said pregnant women and lactating mothers will not be given the vaccine. Those unwell and hospitalised for any other ailment will also be disallowed from taking the jab, as per the Centre''s vaccination guidelines. Vaccination of people with active symptoms of COVID-19 will be deferred by four to eight weeks, Mishra said. People aged below 18 years and those who have been administered any other vaccine in the last 14 days, will not receive the jab, too.

The ones who are to be vaccinated will be kept in observation rooms for 35-40 minutes before being released, Capital Hospital Deputy Superintedent Dhanarjay Das said.