Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday, September 14, said the government will organise a special COVID-19 vaccination drive on September 17 across the state, with a target to administer 25 to 30 lakh doses that day. "We are organising a special vaccination drive on September 17 in all districts including Bengaluru. I have held a video conference with Deputy Commissioners of districts regarding this. Our aim is to administer maximum vaccines this month, so it has been decided to conduct such special drives," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Deputy Commissioners and officers involved in COVID-19 management from all the districts, he said that ministers will be joining the drive from their respective districts and that he will be in Kalaburagi that day. "Our target is to administer 25 to 30 lakh doses that day. It is a big target, because till now the maximum we have given is 12 lakh doses. I have asked officials to have in place the necessary infrastructure and to involve the private sector too in this," he added.
On September 6, state Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that the government plans on fully vaccinating the entire adult population in Karnataka by the end of November. He had held a meeting with the District Collectors and CEOs of Zilla Parishads which were lagging in vaccination coverage, and said that they have been given a target to speed up the coverage and vaccinate all eligible people with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, on August 30, state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar announced that ‘Lasika Utsavs’ or vaccination camps will be held every Wednesday to help boost the state’s vaccination numbers. The government aims to administer the vaccine to at least 10 lakh people every Wednesday, he had said.