Bhubaneswar: After getting NITI Aayog pats for best approaches in containment, mitigation and management of Covid-19 in the State, Odisha is now a step ahead in preparations for COVID vaccination in all parameters of national guideline. This was known from a national level review meeting today in which Cabinet Secretary Government of India Rajiv Gauba reviewed the State’s preparedness for Covid vaccination.
Reporting the level of preparedness, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy, said, “Odisha stands prepared for covid vaccination with prioritized list and well-designed multi-sectorial response system at different levels”.
Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare Pradeepta Kumar Mohapatra apprised, “In the meanwhile, the State Steering Committee constituted under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary and the State Task Force Committee constituted under Additional Chief Secretary Health & Family Welfare have already met to finalize the strategies of immunization.
The meetings of District Task Force Committees have already been conducted under the Chairman ship of respective Collectors. The Block level task force committees have been constituted under the Chairmanship of the BDOs.
Additional Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena appraised that all arrangements have been done for setting up the Control Rooms at 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 added, “An open communication system with people has been put in place to curb any miscommunication”.
Chief Secretary Tripathy said, “Community leaders and PRI representatives would be involved at grass root level to roll out the covid vaccinations a people’s campaign”.
Special Secretary and Mission Director NHM Shalini Pandit said, “The data base of the first priority group composing of health care workers (from both the Government and private health facilities) and from line workers under integrated child development scheme have been prepared and uploaded in the national Co-Win web portal.
She apprised that near about 3 2 lakh such health and frontline workers have been placed in the list.
Further, Additional Chief Secretary Mohapatra said that around 8300 vaccinators have been enlisted and 30,000 vaccination sites have been identified for administering the vaccination. In the meanwhile assessment for cold chain requirement, safe storage and transportation of vaccines have already been made Inventory of walk-in-coolers, walk-in- freezers, ice-lined refrigerators, deep freezers etc have been completed. Steps are being taken to procure the additional requirement. Steps have also been initiated for procuring insulated vaccine vans to ensure seamless supply of vaccines to the districts. The system for follow up of the unwanted medical occurrence after vaccination has also been worked out.