Bhubaneswar: Aiming at early completion of vaccination of elderly persons against the Covid-19, the Odisha Government has stepped up its district-wise targets to accelerate the drive of administering first dose of vaccines to at least 1 lakh beneficiaries per day.
While setting district wise target for the inoculation of senior citizens, the government has directed Collectors, municipal commissioners and CDMOs to make necessary arrangements to augment the pace of vaccination.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department, PK Mohapatra has written to all the officials to increase the pace of vaccination so that one lakh elderly persons can be vaccinated per day.
The Health department has also set district wise target on the basis of proportionate population. Ganjam district topped the list followed by Cuttack and Mayurbhanj in this connection.
The government has set a target of vaccinating 8,413 beneficiaries per day in Ganjam district. Similarly, 6,256 people will receive the jab per day in Cuttack district while Mayurbhanj district has been given the target of to take up 6,000 beneficiaries in a day.
Mohapatra also directed the officials to activate private hospitals as Covid Vaccination Centres.
The second phase of vaccination against COVID-19 was launched across the country on March 1, 2021 for persons above 60 years and those between 45 and 59 years of age with co- morbidities.
During the first phase of vaccination, healthcare workers and frontline workers were vaccinated.
Out of an estimated 46.32 lakh senior citizens in Odisha, 2.51 lakh have already been administered the jab in State. While Ganjam has the highest 3.89 lakh senior citizens, Deogarh has the lowest 34,490 beneficiaries.