BENGALURU: Karnataka has so far inoculated 1,13,830 beneficiaries with the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and is the first state in the country to completely vaccinate more than one lakh beneficiaries with the two doses. As of February 21, a total of 8,21,939 health care workers and 2,84,950 front line workers had registered for the vaccination.
However, so far, only 4,24,491 beneficiaries have got their first dose, with a coverage of 52 per cent. For the second dose, the state has covered 1,13,380 people. Among the frontline workers, out of 2,84,950 registered individuals, only 1,20,172 have got the first dose, with the total coverage standing at 42 per cent. Initially, the turnout of health workers for the first dosage was low due to apprehensions among them. Also, many couldn’t get vaccinated due to glitches in the CoWin portal.
The state also recorded 20 serious AEFI cases adding to the scare among the front line and health workers, thus leading to reduction in total coverage. However, most of them who got their first dose of the vaccination, have turned up for the second dose. B R, Venkateshaiah, Medical Superintendent, K C General Hospital, said, “The turnout for the second dose hasn’t been 100 per cent though. But it is still better with a number of beneficiaries coming in to get the shot.
As many know that second dose is required for successful vaccination, they have been coming forward. For those who have been reluctant to take second shot, we are advising them to come and take it as there are no side-effects seen.” The districts which have vaccinated more than 5,000 health workers with the second dose are Tumakuru at 10,898, Bengaluru Urban with 10,777, Belagavi at 10,036, Mysore at 5,555 and Uttara Kannada at ,5041. Districts with more than 70 per cent coverage are Chikkaballapura (79%), Tumakuru (78%), Uttara Kannada (73%), Gadag and Mandya (71%), Chamarajanagar and Chikkamagalur (70%).