BBMP records a dip in number of daily Covid jabs

Officials cite hesitancy among people as one of the reasons
Image for representation (Photo | AP)
Image for representation (Photo | AP)

BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been trying hard to vaccinate a large number of people, but going by the war room data, it has been lagging over the last few days. The reason cited by the officials is that the people are not coming forward to get vaccinated. 

The city’s daily vaccinations were between 50,000 and 60,000, but on October 3, only 9,803 were vaccinated and on on October 4, 43,423 people were covered. However, the city still did not achieve the 50,000-plus daily target. On October 5, it dipped to 33,580 and fell further on October 6 to 26,233.

BBMP officials reintroduced block and lane-level vaccinations on October 4, setting up vaccination camps in 4,000 blocks. The teams are now going door-to-door to vaccinate people. But the teams are complaining that people are not cooperative.  A BBMP health official said, “Many people don’t want to reveal whether they are vaccinated or not. Those not vaccinated are not coming forward. If there are any medical reasons, we note them down in the survey to develop a database. Those hesitating are educated. Some even say that they are already vaccinated, but do not produce vaccination certificates. It has been a difficult start.” 

BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Randeep D agreed that the daily coverage has been low, but said the idea is to get families vaccinated 100 per cent. “Going door-to-door, we can vaccinate every individual. If we focus on covering every individual, we will achieve 100 per cent coverage. Now, the block and lane vaccination is going slow as people are hesitant. Also, our teams have to go door-to-door which takes time. There is also a shortage of teams to cover more houses in a single day. We need to employ more vaccinators and other staff. The aim is to hasten the process with the present manpower.”

Asked if there is a shortage of vaccines, he said, “There is no shortage. We have covered over 45 per cent of slum population. At present, the first dose coverage is 86% in the city, while second dosage is 49% which is good.”

People have not been turning up for vaccinations even at hospitals. A medical officer at the Bangalore Medical College Research Institute said that earlier, around 800-1,000 people were getting vaccinated per day which has fallen to 200. “It could be due to the long wait for second  dose of Covishield. With more campaigns in the city, people prefer spots closer to them,” he added.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com