Bengaluru Urban (excluding Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has now become the first district in Karnataka to achieve 100% first dose vaccination. However, only about 28.2% of the 10,62,262 population in this district has been fully vaccinated.
According to data from the Health and Family Welfare Department, last week, the BBMP crossed a milestone by administering a total of over one crore doses. Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said the government’s target was to make Bengaluru the first city in India where the entire population is fully vaccinated. “We have directed the BBMP Commissioner and other officials to work towards achieving this target,” he said. Apart from Bengaluru Urban, Kodagu, Udupi, and BBMP have done the highest coverage in terms of first dose so far. While Kodagu has achieved 75.4%, Udupi and BBMP follow with 72.1% and 71.8% first dose coverage.
Kalaburagi and Raichur have the lowest first dose coverage at 45.3% and 47.9%, respectively. Ballari and Yadgir follow with 51.3% and 52.2%, respectively.
In terms of complete vaccination (both doses), Bengaluru Urban (28.2%), Kodagu (28.2%), and Ramanagaram (28%) top the list, while Haveri (11.5%), Kalaburagi (12.4%), and Raichur (12.6%) have achieved the lowest coverage.
Mr. Sudhakar said special initiatives were being planned to intensify vaccination in Kalaburagi, Raichur, Ballari, and Yadgir. Officials have been directed to intensify vaccination in the border districts too. “People residing in villages that fall within 20 km of the Kerala border will be covered on priority,” Mr. Sudhakar said.
“With Bengaluru being the epicentre of COVID-19 in Karnataka during both the first and second waves of infection, vaccinating the entire population in the city is the only way to prevent a third wave,” he said.
More healthcare personnel will be deployed to carry out vaccination drives in the vicinity of slums. “We want to ensure that all slum-dwellers are covered at the earliest,” he said.
The Minister appealed to people to provide the same mobile number while getting their first and second doses. “As people are providing different phone numbers, the number of first and second doses is not tallying and there is a huge difference. Either give the same number or alert staff of any change in it while taking the second dose,” he said.
The vast difference between first and second doses is because of the prescribed 84-day gap between the two doses, he added.
