Karnataka planning five lakh vaccinations every day in Sept: CM

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said his government is planning five lakh vaccinations every day against COVID-19, in the month of September, and expressed hopes of getting adequate quantity of vaccines from the centre.

“Vaccination is the only solution for the future waves (of COVID). So, the more population we vaccinate the safer India is. Karnataka has been at the forefront in vaccination, we have got vaccination centres throughout the state and we are planning to vaccinate five lakh every

day in the month of September,” Bommai said.

Speaking at an event here, he said, presently we are vaccinating about 3.5 to 4 lakh doses, and we want to scale it up.

“The government of India has assured us all help and I”m confident that they will give 1.5 crore vaccines so that we can vaccinate five lakh persons every day. If this is done for the next three to four months, probably 80 per cent of our population will be vaccinated. That”s the target we are trying to achieve,” he added.

The Chief Minister was speaking at ”Vaccinate India Programme,” an initiative of the Department of Planning, Government of Karnataka in collaboration with the Give India Foundation, that was attended by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

Bommai said he discussed with Naidu regarding vaccination and that the Vice President has assured that he would personally speak to the Union Health Minister and will do everything possible to help Karnataka in getting adequate vaccines.

He further said, “Once the availability is assured, I”m going to change the dynamics of vaccination in the state, aimed at reaching the last person, those who cannot afford. We will see to that across the state vaccination is done and we will have a safe society and safe Karnataka.”

Stating that philanthropy is our culture and probably without philanthropy the world would not have been what we are, the Chief Minister called on philanthropists and companies to come forward to help the government in vaccinating the poor and the downtrodden through CSR.

“Together we have to fight. Karnataka will support all the CSR activities regarding COVID with open arms. We want to see the end of COVID,” he said.

Noting that a COVID third wave is expected in October, Bommai said, the government is taking all the precautionary measures like surveillance in border districts, building infrastructure like child paediatric centres and teams, ICUs, extra beds, etc.