Bhubaneswar: With Odisha all set for massive vaccination programme against COVID-19, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has asked concerned officials to launch an awareness campaign to dispel misconceptions on vaccine. Naveen Patnaik chaired a meeting Wednesday to review the COVID-19 situation and readiness made for the vaccination drive. He said the vaccines have raised hopes among the people and India has become the world’s leading vaccine producer. The state is fully prepared to undertake the vaccination programme, he said. Therefore, massive public awareness should be created regarding the vaccine to dispel doubts and misconceptions that the public may have.
As vaccination is going to be the largest exercise of the year, the Chief Minister advised the state administration to execute it properly and smoothly.
Now that unlock restrictions are more or less gone, Naveen asked people to be more cautious in the next two months.
Further, the Chief Minister said that the second wave of COVID-19 has started in England and Europe and lockdown has been re-imposed in some countries. He urged all to follow the COVID-19 guidelines strictly.
Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said that the COVID-19 situation is under control in Odisha. The number of active cases has gone to down to less than 2,000. He said the district magistrates were advised to expedite the livelihood programmes.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Pradeep Kumar Mohapatra said as per the directives of the Central government, a list has been drawn up for vaccination of 3,28,560 health workers working in both the private and public sectors. List of police personnel, municipal staffs and revenue department officials engaged in the Covid duty is being prepared for vaccination. Both the state and district level steering committee meetings have been completed, he added.