BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has identified 29,451 vaccination sites and 10,008 vaccinators in line with India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Tuesday.Talking to the media after a video conference with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, he said Karnataka is well-prepared to deliver the Covid vaccine when it arrives.
The state government has already compiled the data on health workers in government facilities. Nearly 80% of private institutions have also submitted their data, and the remaining institutions will do so in a week’s time. Health workers and Covid frontline across the state are slated to be vaccinated first.
He said that there is no dearth of cold storage facilities in the state, and that there are 2,855 cold chain points for storage and distribution of vaccines.
“To have a better supply chain network and distribution of vaccines in a timely manner, three new Regional Vaccine Stores are proposed to be set up in Bengaluru Urban, Shivamogga and Ballari districts. These proposed vaccine stores will require walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers,” Dr Sudhakar said.
He said that Karnataka has 10 walk-in coolers and 4 walk-in freezers, and that the Union Ministry of Health would supply 3 walk-in coolers and 2 walk-in freezers, for which the necessary civil works were being initiated. A list of cold storage facilities and equipment under the state’s animal husbandry department are also being compiled. Also, spare cold storage facilities available with private hospitals, especially hospital chains are being assessed.
In order to have an exact assessment of the cold storage capacity required for the Covid-19 vaccine programme, the number of doses in each vial, and the volume of a vial etc, need to be assessed. On dry storage facilities, Dr Sudhakar said that the state is yet to assess the availability. He said that the Centre has already allocated a certain number of cold chain equipment according to UIP norms and that Karnataka has informed the Centre about additional requirement.
List of Covid warriors for vaccine gets bigger
Bengaluru: The number of frontline Covid workers in Bengaluru who will be given the vaccine first is only increasing by the day. BBMP officials said government health workers number around 15,000, while those in private hospitals, medical colleges, and labs number 12,000. BBMP marshals and police are not included in the list which is to be given to the government by November 30, Kalavathi D, BBMP nodal officer for the list, said “It is only getting bigger by the day.
There is still time. By Nov 30, the contracts of many could end, some would leave, others will change their department and new people may be added. So the final list is yet to be prepared,” she said. The government is also debating whether or not medical students should be included.