Over 2.6 lakh register for getting Covid-19 vaccine shots, may receive Covaxin

Around 2,60,844 frontline workers from the state of Karnataka have done their registration on CO-WIN till January 31. These workers will be administered the vaccine from the second consignment of Covaxin doses, from which 1.46 lakh have been received by the state as of January 23.

Covaxin, as per the government’s decision was supposed to be administered in certian medical colleges, which include Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) and two district hospitals in Davanagere, and Chikkamagaluru. However, it did not fare well as the students wrote asking for a choice between Covaxin and Covishield. Likewise, may be the scenario with the frontline wokers.

Jawaid Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary iterated the aforesaid hospital were selected as they had large number of beneficiaries and the intent was to reduce wastage. Though, presently, there is still a lot of speculation about why Covaxin has been chosen for the frontline workers.

BBMP Commissioner, Manjunatha Prasad said, “We haven’t received any communication regarding which vaccine will be given to frontline workers that include BBMP workers. We will administer whichever vaccine is supplied to us. We haven’t enquired among our employees which vaccine they prefer.”

Alongside, the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) have written to K Sudhakar, state Health Minister about receiving the vaccines which have completed the phase 3 interim analysis. In a letter, they have raised their concern, “Before receiving Covaxin, we have been made to take the undertaking that clinical efficacy of Covaxin is yet to be established. The undertaking and the distribution of the vaccine sound very suspicious and the resident doctors are very guarded in getting vaccinated.”

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