Mangaluru: Finally, the much-awaited Covid-19 vaccine reached Mangaluru by a truck on Thursday 14 January 2021 at 7 am and was received by Dr B V Rajesh, RCH Officer, Dakshina Kannada and other officials and personnel of the health department located inside District Wenlock hospital. The Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield, is now being kept in a cold storage of ILR vaccine storage unit given by the state government. India’s drugs regulator has approved the Oxford vaccine Covishield, being manufactured by the Serum Institute, and indigenous developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.
It is learnt that Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikkamagaluru districts have received 42,500 doses of Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII). Dr B V Rajesh speaking to the media said that 24,500 doses of vaccine will be given to beneficiaries from the health care sector in Dakshina Kannada, while 12,000 for those registered from the sector in Udupi and 6,000 for Chikkamagaluru district. The Vaccine will be sent to all centres in three districts immediately,”.
“On January 16, we will start vaccination drives only at six centres in Dakshina Kannada district. As per the revised list, vaccination drive will begin at District Wenlock Hospital, Urban Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Surathkal, taluk hospitals of Bantwal, Puttur, Belthangady and Sullia in the district. On the launching day, we will inoculate 600 beneficiaries. This limitation is only for the launching day and more centres will be opened based on the directions of the central and state governments. While the district has 4,776 trained vaccinators including auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) and staff nurses, 647 will administer vaccines for healthcare workers government hospitals and 4,129 will serve for private hospitals”, said Dr Rajesh.
It should be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with the chief ministers of all the states to discuss the Covid-19 vaccination plan, which is scheduled to kick start on 16 January 2021. During the discussion, PM Modi said the two already approved made-in-India COVID-19 vaccines are more cost-effective than any other in the world and have been developed as per the country’s needs. Modi also said that apart from the two already approved vaccines, four others are in the pipeline. “Our experts have taken all precautions to provide the countrymen with effective vaccines, and that coordination between Centre, states in fighting COVID-19 great example of federalism, ” he said.
Moreover, he added, “Around 3 crore health care workers and front line workers will be vaccinated in the first phase of vaccination. In the 2nd phase, those above 50 years and those under 50 years with co-morbid conditions will be vaccinated. India is entering a decisive phase of vaccination in the fight against COVID-19, he asserted, pointing that the world’s largest vaccination programme will start from January 16. Public representatives are not part of the three-crore corona warriors and front line workers to be vaccinated first, and in the first phase, the cost of vaccination for these 3 crore people would be borne by the central government, added PM Modi.
