Odisha Govt To Vaccinate All HIV-Positive People

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to vaccinate people living with HIV (PLHIV) on priority.

The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) had issued an advisory on June 14 that all eligible PLHIV (irrespective of CD4 count and viral load) should undergo complete schedule of COVID-19 vaccination for protecting themselves against the virus and also to limit the spread of disease to their contacts including family members, friends and co-workers.

“In this context, you are requested to vaccinate such people on priority by mobilizing them and through on-site registration in Co-WIN portal at nearby COVId Vaccination Centre at the earliest,” Additional Chief Secretary PK Mohapatra wrote to all Collectors, District Magistrates and Commissioners of municipal corporations on Thursday.

HIV-Positive people had remained outside Odisha government’s vaccine radar thus far due to a lack of coordination between Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) centres.

“There is no initiative from OSACS for vaccination of HIV-positive people. The office does not know how many among them have received single or double-dose,” a representative of PLHIV community and executive committee member of OSACS said, quoting an RTI reply, as reported by The New Indian Express.