The health officials in Karnataka said that the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination will begin on March 1, Monday, following the Union government guidelines. The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination will cover citizens above 60 years of age as well as citizens above 45 years of age with comorbidities. This COVID-19 vaccination drive in Karnataka’s 31 districts will go on parallelly with the first phase of vaccination targeted for health care and frontline workers.
While the COVID-19 vaccine will be free in government centres, private facilities will charge Rs 250 for the same. While Rs 150 will be towards the cost of the vaccine, Rs 100 will be the service charge. However, the beneficiaries will not be able to choose from the vaccines — Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Serum Institute of India's Covishield — they can take.
Here is a checklist for the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination in Karnataka.
The vaccination will be 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 would be limited to 200 per session site and will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, those who registered themselves online would be allotted a specific time in a day.
Beneficiaries can choose their vaccination centres while registering or can also avail of an on-site registration after walking to the centre of their choice. Officials said that the beneficiaries can register themselves through three routes prescribed by the Union government.
> Advance Self-Registration: The beneficiaries will be able to self-register in advance by downloading the Co-WIN 2.0 app and through Arogya Setu. These platforms will show the government and private hospitals that serve as the COVID-19 vaccination centres (CVCs), along with the date and time of the available schedules. The Co-WIN portal will open on March 1, Monday, around 9 am.
> On-site Registration: The facility of on-site registration allows those who cannot self-register in advance to walk into the identified COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and get themselves registered on-site and then get vaccinated.
> Facilitated Cohort Registration: District/local authorities will take lead in identifying beneficiaries and direct them to the nearest vaccination centres.
However, in the initial few days, vaccination will be done only for the online registered beneficiaries in urban and private facilities and both on-site and online in rural areas, officials said.
All beneficiaries, regardless of the mode of access, are advised to carry any one of the following photo ID documents
> Aadhar Card
> Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC)
> The Photo ID card specified at the time of registration in case of online registration (if not Aadhaar or EPIC)
> Certificate of co-morbidity for citizens in age group of 45 years to 59 years (signed by a registered medical practitioner)
The Union government said that citizens above 45 years with certain comorbidities can also get vaccinated in the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive. Here is the list of comorbidities or underlying conditions that will be factored in under the second phase.
> Heart failure with hospital admission in the past one year
> Post cardiac transplant/ Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)> Significant Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF < 40%)
> Moderate or Severe Valvular Heart Disease
> Congenital heart disease with severe PAH or Idiopathic PAH
> Coronary Artery Disease with past CABG/ PTCA/ MI and Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment
> Angina and Hypertension/ Diabetes treatment
> CT/MRI documented stroke and Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment
> Pulmonary artery hypertension and Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment
> Diabetes (>10 years or with complication) and Hypertension on treatment
> Kidney/Liver/ Hematopoietic stem cell transplant: Recipient/ On wait-list
> End-stage Kidney Disease on haemodialysis/ CAPD
> Current prolonged use of oral corticosteroids/ immunosuppressant medications
> Decompensated cirrhosis
> Severe respiratory disease with hospitalisations (in last two years/ FEVI <50%)
> Lymphoma/ Leukaemia/ Myeloma
> Diagnosis of any solid cancer on or after July 1, 2020, or currently on any cancer therapy
> Sickle Cell Disease/ Bone marrow failure/ Aplastic Anemia/ Thalassemia Major
> Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases/ HIV infection
> Persons with disabilities due to Intellectual disabilities/ Muscular Dystrophy/acid attack with the involvement of respiratory system/persons with disabilities having high support needs/ multiple disabilities, including deaf-blindness