Covid-19 vaccine programme in Udupi will be held on election mode: Deputy commissioner

UDUPI: Even as the district administration moved ahead with a smoothly coordinated dry run for the Covid-19 vaccination programme in eight health centres across the district, it signalled its intent to cover the frontline Covid-19 warriors under this programme by the end of January.
This will, however, be dependent on the availability of doses of vaccines that the department of health and family welfare supplies to the district, the authorities maintained.
Exuding confidence of being able to achieve the task given to it after inaugurating the dry run here on Friday, deputy commissioner G Jagadeesha said the administration has roped in all wings of the administration to ensure success of this vital health initiative of the government. “We are implementing the programme on election mode, which sees involvement of all key government departments and their respective officials and staff,” DC said.
Asserting there is no target to complete the vaccination drive, DC said as planned, the 19562 identified frontline health workers from both government and private medical institutions in Udupi district will be administered the vaccine first. The administration will then follow it up with other frontline warriors, list of whom is being readied. In the third phase, people above 50-years and those below 50 with comorbidities will be covered, Jagadeesha said.
Noting that the health department has initiated the dry run to identify possible lacunas and address them before the actual vaccination drive takes place, Jagadeesha urged the stakeholders not to pay heed to any rumours about the programmes floating around in social media. “We have taken care to meet every single step that the department wants respective district administrations to take for this important vaccination programme,” he noted.
All steps are in place to deal with possible allergic reactions due to the vaccine, which could arise even while administering any other medicine, DC said. All those eligible to receive the vaccine should ensure their names are in the list that the district health authorities are drawing up, DC said adding names will not be included once the final list is ready. DHO Dr Sudhir Chandra Sooda, Covid nodal officer Dr Prashanth Bhat and others were present.