Child vaccination drive: Bengaluru, 13 districts record numbers below Karnataka's state average

"There is a data lag and more beneficiaries will be accounted for. We set a high target and it was a good start for the first day," BBMP officials claimed.
A health worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a teenager on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. (Photo | PTI)
A health worker administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a teenager on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

BENGALURU: Bengaluru Urban and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) area fell below the state average of 63 per cent of children being vaccinated with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Until 7.30 pm, Bengaluru Urban was only able to reach 28 per cent or 9171 doses of its target (32,800). BBMP too was able to reach only 56 per cent or 22505 doses of its target (40,000).

"There is a data lag and more beneficiaries will be accounted for. We set a high target and it was a good start for the first day. There was no issue of vaccine hesitancy reported. We have a plan which involves going to all educational institutions to administer the COVID-19 vaccine," said Thrilok Chandra, Special Commissioner (Health), BBMP.

13 other districts including Yadgir (the lowest), Mysuru, Chikkaballapur, Koppal, Ballari, Bidar, Vijayapura, Gadag, Raichur, Bengaluru Rural, Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Ramanagar too scored poorly, with coverage below the state's average of 4,03,928 doses (out of a target of 6,38,891 doses).
Dr Indumathi, District Health Officer of Yadgir, which covered 4,871 out of the targeted 20,000 kids, said that data uploading takes time, as there is no network in schools and colleges of interior rural areas, a problem which they faced throughout the year.

"The target was first set at 32,800. We later changed it to 10,000 per day for the first two days of the children's vaccine drive and decided to restrict it to 100 kids per session site along with having a doctor present. As the drive involves children for the first time, which is an emotional factor for parents and we need to be extra cautious about any side effects, we reduced the target and decided to focus more on fewer children," said Dr. K H Prasad, Mysuru District Health Officer.

On the other hand, 10 districts did exceedingly well, crossing the 100 per cent target mark. The best performing districts were Haveri with 281 per cent, Belagavi with 239 per cent, Dharwad with 229 per cent, Kolar with 197 per cent and Chikkamagaluru with 136 per cent.

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