Over 240 centres readied for vaccination drive in Karnataka
Bengaluru: A total of 243 centres have been prepared for the launch of the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive across the state on January 16, including 10 centres in Bengaluru, Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said on Friday.
The Minister today held a video conference with Deputy Commissioners, Zilla Panchayat CEOs and district health officers regarding the vaccination drive.
Covishield vaccine will be distributed in 237 centres and covaxin in six centres--- Bellary, Shivamogga, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Chamarajnagar, and Davanegere, Sudhakar was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
Noting that Bengaluru Medical College was one of the sites where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the vaccination drive on Saturday, he said, another nine centres have been prepared in the state capital for the vaccination.
Some private hospitals like St Johns Medical college have also been included.
According to the Health Minister, 7,17,439 health warriors will be vaccinated in the initial phase.
"...we are aiming to vaccinate 24,300 people on the first day itself. We have 8,14,500 doses of vaccine and the initial phase is expected to complete within a week," he said.
Politicians would have been given the vaccine in the first phase, but health workers at the forefront in the fight against Corona will be given priority, the minister said.
Pointing out that there will be emergency medical service available at the site of vaccination if any side effects occur to anybody, Sudhakar claimed people were being misled by rumors spreading in social media.
"Only information provided in official government handles are authenticated."
Health warriors, police staff, and 'pourakarmikas' have been registered in the first phase, he said,
He requested people to take the vaccine without any fear as it was completely safe.
Ten walk-in coolers, 4 walk-in freezers, 3,210 ice lined refrigerators, 3,312 cold boxes, 46,591 vaccine carriers, and 2,25,749 ice packs were available for storing and transporting vaccines, he added.
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Poll boycott in Chamarajnagar village: Govt officers, voter injured; booth, EVM destroyed by protest
Chamarajnagar: In an untoward incident reported from Indiganatta village under the Mahadeshwara Hills Gram Panchayat administration limits in Hanur taluk, government officials were injured as they attempted at pacifying a group of angry voters who had declared they were boycotting the polls on Friday.
Tahsildar Guruprasad and Taluk Panchayat Chief Officer Umesh and a police inspector were reportedly injured in the clash. In addition, the protesters are learned to have destroyed the polling booth, including the electronic voting machine (EVM), set up in the village. One of the voters who visited the booth was reportedly injured in the head in the incident.
Angry over the non-availability of infrastructure in their village, the voters in Indiganatta declared that they would not exercise their right to franchise on Friday. Guruprasad, Umesh and the police officer, who were informed of the boycott, visited Indiganatta to appease the voters and get them to cast vote. The group of voters, however, directed their anger at the officers, resulting in the trio being injured.
The protesters in Indiganatta were not only adamant about their boycott, but also infuriated by the sight of other voters in the village cast ballot at the polling booth. In anger, they initially had an argument with the voters but later forced their way into the booth and reportedly destroyed the EVM there.
Polling is currently reported to have been stalled in Indiganatta due to the violent incident.
