Bengaluru gears up for phase 3 Covid-19 vaccination
Bengaluru gears up for phase 3 Covid-19 vaccination
Bengaluru: The Phase 3 of Covid-19 vaccination drive in the city will begin in March and the State government will soon announce the schedule. Those who are above 50 year with comorbidities will be excluded from vaccination. Bengaluru Bruhat Mahanagara Palike Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said that a survey software has been prepared to help ASHA workers identify those who can be vaccinated.
He addressed special commissioners, joint commissioners, health officers, MOHs and medical officers of primary health centres (PHCs) on the issue of survey of comorbid citizens, precautionary steps to prevent spike in Covid-19 cases considering the present situation in Kerala and Maharashtra and the delay in reporting of death cases by private hospitals.
The commissioner said that the prioritisation of high risk population for vaccination is critical due to the presence of comorbidities in patients with Covid-19 and it has often been associated with increased in-hospital complications and mortality.
Prasad added that people from higher socio-economic status can self-register and get vaccinated.
"It is the responsibility of authority/BBMP to identify and cover urban poor and other vulnerable," he said.
On the approach to prepare a master template for Covid vaccination, the commissioner stated that the plan should be to cover all urban slums of Bangalore within BBMP limits.
Spurt in cases in Maharashtra and steady increase in positive cases in Kerala in the past one month have become cause for concern among Karnataka officials. Cluster outbreak of the virus in Mangalore and Bengaluru in closed community settings recently added to their worry.
With Union government easing restrictions on inter-state traffic, State government allowing 100% occupancy in cinema theatres and proposal to permit physical attendance of students of classes 6 to 8, the officials see the greater necessity to raise the vigilance. The BBMP finds to its chagrin that there is poor compliance of basic guidelines such as wearing of face masks among the general public.