K’taka gears up for vaccinating children in 15-18 age group from Monday

Bengaluru: With rising COVID-19 cases, the Karnataka government has decided to vaccinate 31.75 lakh children when the drive to vaccinate children between the age group of 15 and 18 commences on Monday, the Health Department said.

”The State has targeted 31.75 lakh children in the 15-18 age group. On day one, we plan to vaccinate six lakh-and-odd in more than 4,000 sessions,” the department said in a statement.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai would spearhead the campaign at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Higher Primary and Pre-University College at Bairaveshwara Nagara in Moodalapalya in Bengaluru, the department said.

It added that Bommai’s Cabinet colleagues, who are district-in-charge Ministers, would launch the campaign in their respective districts.

All districts have geared up with micro-plan, logistics and staff with an existing stock of 16 lakh doses of Covaxin, the statement read.

Schools and colleges would be the centres of vaccination, the department said.

Children who miss their vaccination on session days at schools or colleges would be directed to the nearby health centres for the shots. Also, vaccination for children with any co-morbidities would be carried out in the health facility under the supervision of a Medical Officer.

The schools conducting online classes can fix a day for vaccination and children have to be called on that particular day to get the dose. Regarding the dropouts, the department said they would be mobilised to visit government hospitals with the support of the labour department, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Urban Development department.

The statement said the Central government would dispatch the required Covaxin doses to the State in a day or two. Further, the department said the In-App Purchase (IAP) and private paediatricians have been asked to support this vaccination drive for children and help in allaying anxiety and apprehension.

Monitoring and supervision of the entire campaign would be done by the district and Taluk-level officers of health and education departments to ensure quality implementation.

The department has directed the district authorities to create awareness on vaccination for children and address hesitancy or other issues which may be prevalent among parents.

The vaccine would be available free of cost at all the government COVID-19 vaccination centres.

The children can download their vaccination certificate from CoWIN portal, the statement read.