Back16 lakh frontline workers will be first to receive covid-19 vaccine in Karnataka
The second dose will be administered to the frontline workers 28 days after the first oneAfter the vaccine is administered to frontline workers, the government has been asked by the centre to look at people with comorbidities, state health minister said
PremiumKarnataka chief minister B.S.Yediyurappa on Monday said that approximately 16 lakh people in the state would be administered with the covid-19 vaccine from 16 January.
“In the first phase (across India), three crore people will be vaccinated. In Karnataka, from 16 January, about 16 lakh frontline workers like from health, revenue and police personnel will be vaccinated," Yediyurappa said on Monday in Bengaluru after the virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The statements come at a time when India is planning to roll out of the covid-19 vaccine to help contain further spread of the disease, contain its impact and rebuild the fledgling economy.
Karnataka, which was one of the worst affected regions in the country, has managed to get some control on the spread of the coronavirus. Out of the total 9,27,559 cases reported in the state since 8 March last year, there are under 10,000 active covid-19 cases in the state, according to the daily health bulletin of the state government.
In the last week, Karnataka has seen its total number of new cases dip to 5621 with Bengaluru accounting for over half of these numbers. Over 12140 people have died in the state due to covid-19, government data shows.
Yediyurappa said that the second dose will be administered to the frontline workers 28 days after the first one.
“Around 45 days later, immunogenicity in our bodies will be developed. But until then we should be careful," K.Sudhakar, Karnataka’s health minister said on Monday.
He added that the state has all necessary infrastructure to administer the vaccine.
There are 235 centres across the state, Yediyurappa said.
Sudhakar said that in the second phase, after the vaccine is administered to frontline workers, the government has been asked by the centre to look at people with comorbidities.
“The PM has asked us to look at all people above and below 50 years who have symptoms and comorbidities in the second phase,"Sudhakar said.
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