The State will get four crore vaccine doses in the next one-and-half months, said Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar in Hebri of Udupi district on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating a medical oxygen generation plant at the Hebri Community Health Centre, Dr. Sudhakar said that barring a few days of disruption in supply, the State, on an average, has been vaccinating three lakh people per day. A total of 2.6 crore people have been vaccinated in the State so far. The Union government will supply 1.5 crore vaccines in the next few days and a total of four crore vaccine doses will be available by the end of August, he said.
The Minister lauded the efforts put in by health workers in Udupi district, which stood second in terms of vaccinating 45% of the population with first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Bengaluru tops with the highest number of people vaccinated with first dose.
Emphasising on the need for people to take both doses of vaccine, Dr. Sudhakar said: “You will be safe if you receive both doses.” He added that people should continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing and avoid mingling in crowded places. “COVID-19 has not yet gone. We need to rigorously follow the preventive norms and prevent the third wave of infection,” he said.
The second wave of COVID-19, he said, has made the State government establish oxygen generation plants in district hospitals, taluk hospitals and community health centres. A total of 186 oxygen generation plants are being established across the State. While 50 plants are being set up using funds granted under PM-CARES Fund, 40 are being set up by the State government. As many as 67 plants are being set up by corporate bodies using the Corporate Social Responsibility funds and 28 by Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers. One among the 28 plants was in CHC, Hebri, he added.
MLA lauded
Symbolically launching the Vaatsalya scheme to cover 40,000 children aged less than 15 in Karkala and Hebri taluks of Udupi district on Wednesday, Dr. Sudhakar lauded Karkala MLA V. Sunil Kumar’s initiative to prevent likely infection of children from the third wave of COVID-19, if any.
Vaastalya scheme involves health check-up camps in the two taluks to identify children with malnutrition, congenital disorders and other health problems. “We will identify these children and make arrangements for their treatment at government hospitals,” Mr. Sunil Kumar said. Apart from government health staff, doctors from Kasturba Medical College and K.S. Hegde Medical Academy are being involved in this exercise, he said.
The drive, which started on June 29, will go on till August 15. Health check-up camps are being held at 220 government schools and 230 anganwadi centres. The children covered will get immunity boosters and other health supplements.
