State targets 500k jabs per day in Sept: CM

Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu and Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot were part of the ‘Vaccinate India Programme,’ which was an initiative of the department of planning and Give India Foundation.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that the state government is planning to administer 500,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses per day in September, reiterating the goal to vaccinate all eligible population by the end of the year.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday morning told reporters that he would be visiting New Delhi on Wednesday to hold meetings with all Union ministers including health and seek better quota of vaccines. (PTI)

“Vaccination is the only solution for the future waves (of Covid). So, the more population we vaccinate the safer India is. Karnataka has been at the forefront in vaccination, we have got vaccination centres throughout the state and we are planning to vaccinate 500,000 every day in the month of September,” Bommai said.

Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu and Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot were part of the ‘Vaccinate India Programme,’ which was an initiative of the department of planning and Give India Foundation.

The statement comes at a time when Karnataka is staring at a threat of a third wave of Covid-19 infections even as the government continues to relax restrictions and even resume physical classes for school children.

Karnataka has so far administered 3,79,01,502 doses of vaccines, according to data from CoWin till 8.20 pm on Tuesday. The first dose accounts for 2,89,27,640 doses while 89,73,862 second doses have been administered, as per CoWin data.

Karnataka is ranging between 200,000 to 400,000 doses each day but shortage in vaccines outside Bengaluru has been a concern which Bommai said the government will overcome with the help of the union government.

“The government of India has assured us all help and I am confident that they will give 15 million vaccines so that we can vaccinate 500,000 persons every day. If this is done for the next three to four months, probably 80% of our population will be vaccinated. That’s the target we are trying to achieve,” he added.

Bommai, on Tuesday morning told reporters that he would be visiting Delhi on Wednesday to hold meetings with all Union ministers including health and seek better quota of vaccines.

The CM said that he would change the dynamics of vaccination once availability of the same is assured.

The Karnataka government has already reached out to high net worth individuals and large corporations to tap into their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and help the state procure more vaccines, Hindustan Times reported on August 18.

“We have set an ambitious target to fully inoculate the entire eligible adult population in the state by December. I will soon visit Delhi to seek an additional supply of vaccines to our state. The private sector can procure 25% of the vaccine production. We are having discussions with corporate companies to explore the possibilities of procuring vaccines under CSR and providing it to the state government. This will significantly accelerate the vaccination drive,” Sudhakar said in a statement on August 17.

The Centre’s decision to control the distribution of Covid- 19 vaccine doses among all states has left Karnataka with a shortage of sorts to achieve its target of administering at least one dose to all eligible people by the end of the year, according to data.

Bommai reiterated the government’s plea, asking more philanthropists to come forward and help increase the vaccination coverage.