MYSURU: The pace of vaccination continues to be slow in Mysuru, especially at government centres, with a large number of healthcare and frontline workers yet to get their second dose. This has raised a question mark about the vaccination drive, amid a slight uptick in cases in many parts of the country, and dire predictions of yet another pandemic wave.
From administering over 50,000 doses regularly until recently, vaccine delivery in Mysuru at government sites has been severely hit, with supplies running short, post the record-setting June 21 vaccination extravaganza. The district is recording delivery of around 5,000 doses a day, but there is a great deal of inconsistency, with up to 30,000 doses on some days. For instance, on Sunday, 21,018 doses were delivered, while two days ago, the number was 5,491 and the day before, it was 4,471.
What is more worrying is the poor second dose coverage of priority groups, frontline workers and healthcare staffers. It may be noted that vaccination for healthcare workers started seven months ago, on January 16, and was launched exclusively for frontline workers in February.
In Mysuru, which has scored high in terms of vaccine delivery, with high inoculation figures during the early days, the second dose coverage among frontline workers remains at 42.07 per cent, with only 14,859 people taking the second dose, among 35,315 workers who took the first dose.
Among healthcare workers, meanwhile, of 40,261 people who took the vaccine, only 28,470 have taken the second dose, translating to 70.7 per cent second dose coverage. This is emerging as a concern as there is already a slight uptick in fresh pandemic cases in several parts of the country. Getting the second dose
of the vaccine promises enhanced protection against hospitalisation and severity of the infection itself.
Meanwhile, official sources point out that the slow pace is due to delays in proper supply of vaccine vials. “There is a delay in getting the second dose, but inoculating both health workers and frontline workers with the second dose should be a priority, since they are going to be in the forefront if there is yet another pandemic spike,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
It may be noted that there are no walk-ins for healthcare and frontline workers any more, and many workers said that with swelling crowds at government vaccine sites, it was difficult to get the second dose.
Active cases drop to sub-30K level
Active cases in Karnataka fell below the 30,000-mark on Sunday, with Bengaluru’s numbers sliding below the 12,000-mark. Statewide, active cases now stand at 29,291, falling from 30,082 on Saturday. Bengaluru’s cases stand at 11,751, marking a decline from 12,167 the previous day. However, the decline in active cases has slowed considerably — a worrying trend. It should have been faster as the second wave is tapering off. The other worry is about the marginally growing mortality rate across the state, which stands at 1.25 per cent.