BHUBANESWAR: More than 80% of the servitors of the Jagannath Temple in Purihave been administered the first dose of Covishield ahead of Rath Yatra, which is scheduled to be held on July 12.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had approved their vaccination on priority basis in the run-up to the state’s biggest festival a few days ago.
The beneficiaries include servitors in the 18-44 as well as the 45 plus age group.
Of the target beneficiaries of 4,300 in the 18-44 age group, at least 3,622 servitors (84.23%) have received the first dose so far.
In the 45+ category, at least 3,158 servitors of the target population of 3,900 have already received their first jabs, which makes up around 80.97%.
Since the gap between the administration of the first and the second dose should be at least 84 days, only 1,045 servitors from the target population of 3,900 in the 45+ category have been given the booster shots.
“We hope to cover the beneficiaries of both the age groups with the first dose much before Rath Yatra,” Ajay Kumar Jena, administrator (development) of the Jagannath Temple, said.
Since Rath Yatra is a little over a month away, the servitors in the 18-44 age group are unlikely to get their second doses before the festival.
The Centre recently increased the gap between the first and the second dose of Covishield to 12 weeks from eight earlier.
After the fresh resurgence of Covid-19, at least 287 servitors had contracted the infection.
While 213 of them have already recovered from it and 10 succumbed to the infection, 64 others are undergoing treatment at the Covid care centre, which was set up by the temple administration in Puri.
When Covid had first struck last year, more than 500 servitors were infected with it and nine of them had died of it.
“We have come across only two or three cases of reinfection among the servitors, who have received their first dose.
Their condition is fine,” another temple official said.
“We have also started the testing and vaccination of carpenters and other workers, who have been engaged in the construction of the chariots for the Rath Yatra.
Only those carpenters, who have tested negative for Covid, are being allowed to make the chariots.
Special accommodation centres have been arranged for their stay in isolation until the completion of the construction of the chariots,” Jena said.