Bengaluru: Of more than 4.9 crore people over the age of 18 who are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Karnataka, 45% have received at least one dose since the encouragement begins.
On Monday (July 19), a total of 2.7 doses of crore vaccines were used, where 2.2 crore was used to manage the first jab.
More than 54 lakh people have taken the second dose.
Data from the Ministry of Health and family welfare shows 27% of them in the age group of 18-44 years have received the first dose.
The coverage of vaccination from those aged 45 years and above is much better, perhaps because they are eligible to receive vaccines far earlier than younger groups.
Also, this vaccine is free for groups above 45 in all government vaccination centers.
“We have given at least one dose to 68% of those above 45,” said Arundhathi Chandrashekar, director of the mission, the National Health Mission, Karnataka.
Official estimates showed that there were 1,71,18,336 people over 45 years in Karnataka.
From them, more than 1.1 crores have taken the first dose.
The government expands vaccination for all over 45 years for free at the facility starting April 1 and so on.
The state vaccination plan is completely dependent on the supply, officials said, while acknowledging coverage needs to be improved.
In most days, coverage in terms of daily doses floated around a 2.5-lakh sign, while dips – significantly – on Sundays.
Daily coverage is often a case of worries when supply dries.
Operational Issues Experts said vaccinating all individuals who qualified before the end of 2021 should ideally a goal.
But the sources of the Ministry of Health say there are operational problems, especially related to supply, in addition to fatigue among health care personnel.
They recognize the current government cannot fulfill demand, which is the reason for a long queue outside the vaccination center.
“Karnataka has the capacity to vaccinate three lakh people a day.
But to achieve this, the supply of vaccines without interruption must be ascertained,” said Dr.
MK Sudarshan, Chairman, Covid State Technical Advisory Committee.
Dr.
Sudarshan said, at present, the country is still in phase-1 of drive vaccination – where shots are given to those who come to health centers looking for Jab.
Even this request has not been fulfilled, he said.
“In the second phase of the drive, the state must launch a search and survey of people who have not received Jab.
It’s even more challenging,” he said.
Although vaccination for health workers began to return on January 16, almost 40% of them had not received the second dose.
As on Monday (July 19), 7.5 lakh health services have taken the first dose, and from them only 5.2 lakh has taken the second dose.
Ditto with frontline workers, for whom vaccination began on February 8 among the frontline workers, 8.9 lakh had taken the first dose, but only 2.8 lakh had taken a second shot.