Covid-19 Vaccines Distribution In Odisha: Cuttack tops in Districts, Bhubaneswar in Cities

Bhubaneswar: In the phase-1 vaccination drive against Covid-19, Odisha will see vaccination of over 1.9 lakh corona and frontline warriors from the coming weekend. The drive is scheduled to continue till the next weekend. The Cuttack district will see maximum beneficiaries in the State.

While home-grown vaccine Covaxin will be administered to around 9,000 beneficiaries in Bhubaneswar, rest of the districts will see the administration of Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India in technological collaboration with Oxford University.

An elaborate arrangement has been put forth by the Odisha Government to transport the vaccines safely to the district storage stores.

“Within the next 48 hours, a total of 4.08 lakh vaccine doses will be transported to the district vaccine stores in the State. The vaccines that are at present stored in the first cold chain point – the State vaccine storage centre - will now be transported in insulated vans to the districts. There is a proposal to provide police escort during transportation, said Bijay Kumar Mishra, Vaccine nodal officer.

What Is Insulated Van?

This is a vaccine transport vehicle for transporting vaccines in bulk quantity. The insulation helps in maintaining the ambient temperature of the cargo unit which assists in maintaining the holdover time of vaccine containing cold boxes. As per norms, all vaccines should only be transported in cold boxes with the required number of frozen/ conditioned ice packs.

District Wise Beneficiaries:

As per the number of vaccination sites, Ganjam and Cuttack districts have the maximum of 11 sites each. However, when it comes to the number of beneficiaries to be vaccinated, Cuttack tops the list with a count of 17,190 compared to Ganjam’s 15,120. Khurdha follows with a total of 14,535.

If the beneficiaries in the State are seen city-wise, then Bhubaneswar tops the tally with a count of 9000.

The noteworthy mention here is Odisha had seen three Covid-19 hotspots districts - Ganjam, Khurdha and Cuttack. But Bhubaneswar had been the top hotspot city in the State, as per the number of coronavirus positives and fatalities.

Why Cuttack Has Highest Beneficiaries?

As vaccines are given on the basis of the number of registered corona and frontline warriors, Cuttack district has the maximum registration in the State. Therefore, it has the highest beneficiaries (healthcare staff plus anganwadi workers) in the State, said highly placed sources in the State Health Department.

Moreover, as per sources, Odisha has received nearly 11 per cent more doses than required for the vaccination. This extra supply had been done keeping in mind the wastage factor of around 1.1 per cent, sources added.

What Is Wastage Factor?

As the Coronavirus vaccines are to be administered in a very short span, therefore the wastage rate in Covid-19 vaccines has been estimated at around 10 per cent. And accordingly, the wastage factor has been calculated at around 1.1, explained sources.

VACCINE INFO: As Per Serum Institute India

Vaccine Ingredients: L-Histidine, L- Histidine hydrochloride monohydrate (an amino acid), Magnesium chloride hexahydrate, Polysorbate 80, Ethanol, Sucrose, Sodium chloride and Disodium edetate dihydrate (EDTA)

• This will be an intramuscular (IM) injection and the vaccination course comprises two separate doses of 0.5 millilitres (ml) each.
• After the first dose, second dose would be administered after a minimum of 28 days.
• Skipping the second dose may lead to complications. Consulation with doctor is necessary.

Meanwhile, as per reports, the State police have asked the twin city DCPs to coordinate with the respective district SPs pertaining to the security related requirements for storage and safe transport of vaccines. The State police have also planned special security measures for Maoist-affected districts, suggest reports.