E-Paper
Vaccination for 18-44 age group to begin after supply arrives: K’taka chief secy
Bengaluru Karnataka chief secretary P Ravi Kumar on Wednesday said that vaccination for the 18-55 age group will commence only once the doses arrive, indicating that the inoculation drive for the younger age groups which is scheduled to begin from May 1 across the country may be delayed in the state
Bengaluru Karnataka chief secretary P Ravi Kumar on Wednesday said that vaccination for the 18-55 age group will commence only once the doses arrive, indicating that the inoculation drive for the younger age groups which is scheduled to begin from May 1 across the country may be delayed in the state.
Karnataka has placed an order for 10 million doses of Covishield from the Serum Institute of India (SII), valued at ₹400 crore. However, it is unsure about the date and time of delivery.
“The third phase of Covid-19 vaccination for 18-44 years will be rolled out in the state once the schedule of supplies is received from the manufacturers,” the chief secretary said in a statement issued by Karnataka’s department of public relations.
The statement casts a cloud over the vaccination drive for the younger age group which, in recent weeks, has been one of the biggest casualties of the virus.
Karnataka’s minister for health, family welfare and medical education K Sudhakar on Wednesday said the state has around 4.5 lakhs vials in stock and is expecting another four lakh vials by evening.
“The registration for vaccination will continue to be through the CoWIN portal,” Ravi Kumar said.
He added that the scheduling of slots for vaccination at government and private facilities will be visible on the portal once the sessions are scheduled.
Sudhakar also said that the state is procuring around 1.8 lakh doses of Remdesivir.
The minister directed officials to take strict action against Mysuru-based Jubilant Life Sciences if they fail to deliver Remdesivir on time despite requests and orders from the government.
Bengaluru accounted for 137 out of the 229 fatalities in the state in a single day on Wednesday.
Karnataka and Bengaluru are among the worst Covid-impacted regions in the country.
The active case load in Bengaluru stood at 2,242,252. Karnataka, which has seen a rapid rise in cases from several districts, has 328,884 active cases.
The B S Yediyurappa-led state government has been accused of ignoring warnings from a state-appointed technical advisory committee (TAC) in November, that asked the administration to prepare for an imminent second wave of infections around February.
The failure to ensure adequate arrangements has seen the state’s already inadequate healthcare infrastructure crumble under the weight of the raging pandemic.
Karnataka is banking on vaccinations to tide over the pandemic and has even offered free inoculations for 18-44 age groups in government hospitals.
So far, the state has vaccinated over 9.2 million people, averaging a little over 100,000 per day, according to government data. Vaccine wastage is around 1.4%, according to the government.
