Bhubaneswar: Amid the sudden surge in Covid cases in China and elsewhere, Health & Family Welfare Director-cum-State Nodal Officer for Immunisation Dr Bijay Panigrahi said on Friday that only precaution doses of the vaccine can protect people against the Covid sub-variant.
“Those who have taken precaution dose are definitely protected against the infection of Omicron variant. The dangers and deaths are definitely less,” informed Dr Panigrahi.
Dr Panigrahi said that as a whole 41 percent of the eligible population in the State have taken precaution doses of the Covid vaccine which is higher as compared to the national average which is around 30 percent.
He said the government will be soon writing to the Government of India to provide with vaccine doses so that the free vaccination programme can be continued as earlier.
“If a decision is taken at today’s meeting we will write to the Government of India to supply us with vaccine doses since 41 percent of people have taken precaution doses and still 59 percent remain to get the precaution dose,” Dr Panigrahi said.
Dr Panigrahi was of the opinion that since 97 percent of the people in the State have been vaccinated and in addition to that several people in our State have been infected so herd immunity against the virus is better in our State.
There won’t be much of a problem in our State, he added.
