Coastal Karnataka tops COVID-19 vaccine acceptance

Bhatkal, 01 Feb 2021 [Fik/News Sources]:  Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts had the highest number of health workers selected for vaccination turning out for receiving the first dose.

About 60 per cent of health workers have already been inoculated in the three coastal districts.

In the 14 districts in northern Karnataka, 10 districts in southern Karnataka and 3 districts in the Malnad regions only one out of two selected health workers have turned out for vaccination covering 51 per cent of the target.

In Bengaluru Urban district 46 per cent and Bengaluru Rural district 39 per cent of vaccine targets have been achieved.

The Health Department will be providing another opportunity soon for frontline health workers who have not vaccinated themselves for various reasons.

15 days have elapsed since the launch of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. Till date of the 6,11,907 workers selected for the drive, only 3,13,639 have been vaccinated.

The State ranks first in the country in the number of vaccines administered to health workers.

Javed Akhtar, Chief Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Commissioner of the Department, Omprakash Patil, Director, Deputy Director Dr P Rajni and National Health Programme director Dr Arundhati Chandrasekhar have jointly stated the following words for those who are yet to be vaccinated:

– The government has given the first opportunity of vaccination to us health workers to pay tribute to us. Let us not reject this honourable opportunity

– No harm has been caused by the vaccine. When you are vaccinated for infectious disease, you need to be aware that slight fever and body pain are common

– In the next phase, the general public will be vaccinated. Let us get vaccinated and be ready before vaccinating others