The Karnataka state government is mulling over extension of the availability of COVID-19 vaccines to primary and community health centres to cover more people during the vaccination drive, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Thursday. "At present COVID019 vaccine is being administered at Taluk hospitals. We are considering extending the service to PHCs and CHCs so that more and more members of the public can get the vaccine at the earliest," the minister said in a statement.
He said he would discuss the availability of coronavirus vaccines in PHCs and CHCs for speedy vaccination of senior citizens. Sudhakar said the government is encouraging people above 60 and those over 45 with comorbidities to get the vaccine voluntarily.
Pointing out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken the vaccine made in India as well, people should take the vaccine without doubting its efficacy, the Health minister said. Sudhakar said no adverse effect has been reported so far.
The vaccination drive for the general public started in the state on March 1 and since then, 38,811 people above the age of 45 have been vaccinated in the state. However, the inoculation drives were initially vitiated by delays due to unresponsiveness and glitches in the Co-WIN 2.0 portal.
The vaccination in Karnataka is being held four days per week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday — in government facilities and all working days in private hospitals. The number of vaccinations per day is being limited to 200 per session site and will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis. People who registered themselves online are being given a time slot.
The Union government on March 2 had instructed all states and union territories that private hospitals — empanelled under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and the state health insurance schemes — can also administer COVID-19 vaccine if they assure to abide by the norms.