Bhubaneswar: Healthcare workers who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine will not get a second chance for free vaccination if they miss their date, the state government made it clear. Those who say no to the free vaccine during the ongoing immunization drive will not get an opportunity for free vaccine again.
If they later come forward, they will have to buy it.
Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra said knowingly or unknowingly some of the healthcare workers (HCWs) are not coming to session sites to get the jab.
“This is a voluntary vaccination programme and healthcare workers are at the top of the priority. The vaccine will protect them from future infection. The listed beneficiaries should come and get vaccinated when called. If they do not come, they will not get the vaccine free later,” he clarified.
Sources said several HCWs are showing reluctance to get the vaccine administered, especially Covaxin citing that it has not cleared the Phase III trial.
“Some healthcare workers are hesitating to take the vaccine shot,” said Vaccine In-charge Bijay Panigrahi while speaking on the development report of COVID-19 vaccination drive. As per official sources no case of anaphylaxis has been reported in the state so far following administration of the vaccine.
On the other hand a senior official said the drive is running successfully. On the other hand 31,902 healthcare workers were expected to be vaccinated on the second day of the drive i.e. Monday.
An official report from the health department reads total 32,526 beneficiaries were given the first dose of the vaccine, which is 102% of the total listed beneficiaries for the day. Tuesday, the vaccination drive was conducted at 375 session sites across the state.
PNN