Covid-19: Karnataka becomes first state in India to inoculate over 2 lakh people

Karnataka has become the first state in the country to vaccinate more than two lakh healthcare workers as part of a nationwide vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The drive was kicked off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16.

According to state health department, 2,06,577 healthcare workers had been vaccinated against Covid-19 by 2 pm on Monday.

The state has been leading in getting its frontline workers vaccinated in the first phase of the inoculation programme.

After PM Modi launched the vaccination drive nationally through video conferencing, Nagaratna K (28), a ward attendant at Victoria Hospital received the vaccine in the presence of chief minister B S Yediyurappa, Union minister Pralhad Joshi and health minister K Sudhakar among others at the Bangalore Medical College.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated crossed 16 lakh (16,13,667) in the country till 7.30 pm on Sunday through 28,613 sessions, according to Union health ministry.

About 30 crore people will be inoculated in the first phase. Healthcare workers from both government and private sectors are the first to receive the vaccine followed by frontline workers including civil defence and disaster management volunteers.

The Centre is bearing the cost of vaccination in the first phase.

The government will then turn its attention to people above 50 years of age and those below 50 with comorbidities.

The government is using two vaccines - Covishield made by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin - to inoculate people against the deadly Sars-CoV-2 virus.