College students above 18, teaching & non teaching staff in vaccination priority group: K'taka DCM
Bengaluru, Jun 24: With the state government considering opening higher educational institutions, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan on Thursday said all college students above 18 years, their teaching staff and non-teaching staff will be considered as a priority group to administer COVID vaccine.
The DCM, who also holds the higher education portfolio, said vaccination for the above groups would be taken up in July in the respective colleges as per the guidelines of the central government after consulting with the officers.
"Inoculation campaigns will be arranged in the colleges. Validation letters issued by the respective institutions need to be submitted before getting vaccinated.
Head of the institution and another officer will be appointed as nodal officers in every institution," he was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
In response to a question, Narayan said offline classes will be started once all the students are vaccinated with the first dose.
"Teaching, learning process has not stopped and it is being continued through digital mode and attendance is mandatory for online classes also," he informed.
The DCM said existing vaccines are effective against Delta plus variant of the virus also.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
