Bengaluru: With the State Government Increases the Daily Covid-19 testing target for one lakh, health workers are under extraordinary pressure to find people who want to take the test.
In an effort to meet the target, the staff directed people to activate vaccination to undergo a test.
In some primary health centers (PHC) in Bengaluru, vaccine seekers were told to take Covid tests first if they wanted to be inoculated, even though vaccination and testing were not linked.
Unofficial riders have triggered a heated argument between potential benefits and health staff in several BBMP vaccination centers.
One of the scenes played at Sanjaynagar PHC on Monday when the health staff directed vaccine seekers to first take Covid tests.
A health worker told TOI: “Because there has been an uptick in the number of Covid cases in the city, we have been told by our high ranking to do vaccine seekers to test.
There is no fee for this test so it should not be a problem.” The staff told reporter Toi is also that Covid tests are required to take advantage of the second dose of vaccines.
Everyday cases in Bengaluru have floated around 200 signs and positive tests are around 0.45% in the past week.
However, alert to the spread of omicrons, the new Coronavirus variant is a concern, the government increases the target of testing in Bengaluru to 35,000 per day.
Abbiram H Upadhyaya, a resident of Sanjaynagar, was forced to take the test before he was given a dose of his second vaccine in October.
“The staff told me that they would vaccinate me only if I tested negatively,” Upadhyaya said.
“However, they did not wait for the results of a quick antigen test and went ahead and stuck me two minutes later.
They only give reasons to collect as many samples as possible to show that they have reached their target.” Selvi K, other citizens who receive shots On Monday at Sanjaynagar PHC, said, “The test makes the whole process of getting a vaccination that is very time consuming.
In addition, when they see someone in the queue with symptoms, they encourage them right forward.
They must have a separate queue for those who want to get They were tested.
“On questioned by Toi, a staff of the PHC said,” We do not force anyone to be tested, but the queue is equally regardless of whether someone is willing to be tested or not.
” But no announcements made testing are optional.
After the staff arrived in the morning, they shared a swab container and said the test was mandatory.
Dr.
Vedavathi, a health medical officer, Hebbal told Ti that he did not give a command to PHC.
“Testing is not mandatory to take a vaccine,” he said.
“I have not given a PHC order to conduct a test before vaccinating people.
Now this problem has been brought to my notification, I will immediately improve the situation.” Gaurav Gupta, Head of the BBMP Commissioner, also said that no command incurred made a covid test mandatory to receive vaccines .
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