Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Dec 15: Covid vaccine is expected to reach Dakshina Kannada district during the first or second week of January. It has been planned to administer the vaccine to 40,000 health workers in the first phase.
Preference will be given to the private and government medical staff. Health department employees, officers, nurses, doctors, group D employees, ambulance staff etc have been listed. The district health department is preparing to administer the vaccine to them. 4,667 vaccinators from the district have been identified for the job. For training them, master trainers will arrive from Bengaluru.
District health officer Dr Ramachandra Bairy said that vans, deep freezers, Ice Lines Refrigerators, deep freezers, walk-in coolers etc are ready. He said that the facility that is used for the vaccination of the children will be used for this purpose.
In the second phase, police, defence staff and civic workers will get preference in getting vaccines. In the third phase, citizens aged above 50 years will get the shots. The district has not received any instruction to put together a number of people in the second and third phases. The health officer said that on an average, 25 to 30 Covid cases are reported every day from the district. He noted that since the Navaratri festival, there have been huge crowds regularly but so far there has not been any indication of the second wave of the disease. He has asked all the people not to lose patience and take proper care for some more months and follow all Covid precautions.
Deputy commissioner of the district Dr Rajendra K V said that the district has successfully handled pulse polio vaccination programme and therefore, has enough cold storage system. He said that al the primary health centres have facilities.
In the first phase in Udupi, 14,000 will be vaccinated, said deputy commissioner of the district, G Jagadeesha. All preparations are being made by the district administration and health department for the administration of the vaccine, he stated.