BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday said 16 lakh Corona warriors, including healthcare workers, will be vaccinated in the state in the first phase, starting from January 16. Apart from healthcare workers, the first phase will include employees of municipalities, rural development and panchayat raj, police and revenue departments, among others.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video-conference with chief ministers, Yediyurappa said that the second dose will be given 28 days after the first shot. The vaccination drive will be taken up at 235 centres in the state. “Both Covishield and Covaxin will be given in Karnataka,” he said. Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, who was present with the chief minister at the videoconference, said that the two vaccines, developed by Indian companies, will be given free of cost to three crore people across the country in the initial phase and the cost will be borne by the Centre.
He said that immunity develops 45 days after the shots. “One has to be careful for those 45 days,” he added, quoting the Prime Minister. Dr Sudhakar said that if the vaccination drive has to start on January 16, the vaccines have to reach the 235 centres across all 30 districts well before that date. The vaccines have to first reach the two state storage facilities in Bengaluru and Belagavi.
They will then be distributed to five regional stores at Chitradurga, Kalaburagi, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru and Bagalkot. From there, the vaccines will be distributed to 30 district vaccine storage facilities, from where they have to reach the 235 centres.
This distribution may take at least two-three days, and around 900 vehicles have been set aside for the purpose, he said. Trying to allay fears over the safety of vaccines, he said that there is no need to panic as the vaccines have undergone clinical trials and are safe. In the second phase, the vaccines will be administered to people aged over 50 and other vulnerable groups.