More than 48 lakh people vaccinated in State: Minister Sudhakar

Bengaluru: Karnataka is in 6th position in the country in COVID-19 vaccination with over 48 lakh people having received the jab, according to Health & Medical Education Minister Dr.K.Sudhakar. Speaking to the media, Sudhakar said, "48.05 lakh people had been vaccinated till yesterday and 1,95,554 got the jab in the last 24 hours. Over 22.5 lakh people who received vaccination are above the age of 60 years. Similarly, 10.4 lakh people are between the 45-59 age group. Karnataka is in 6th position in the country in implementing the vaccination drive. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are other states leading the drive. The Union government responded positively to our request and provided additional 15 lakh doses of vaccine yesterday."

As per the new data from the Health department, mortality among young middle age group is a cause of concern, as more than one lakh cases have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours, and the mortality rate is also high. "Mortality among middle aged and young people is a matter of serious concern. I have directed the technical advisory committee to conduct a death audit. Second wave is spreading faster than the first one. We cannot predict the severity of the situation right now, but we are prepared for it," said the minister.

According to the reports, 33,697 beds have been reserved for COVID cases in the State. There are 15,733 oxygenated beds available in government hospitals out of which 10,083 have been reserved for COVID cases.

"We have also directed the private hospitals to increase beds to 20% for coronavirus patients. We need to increase the number if more cases are detected. We have received requests from the movie industry to remove the restrictions on occupancy and allow 100% seating in cinema halls. I will discuss the issue with the Chief Minister who will then take a decision. Technical advisory committee has submitted a report 20 days back regarding the guidelines to be followed in cinema halls, marriage halls, public transport, schools etc. The Chief Minister has taken the decision after consulting with everyone concerned. Maharashtra has announced strict measures including weekend lockdown. We should not push ourselves to similar situations in our state. People should cooperate in this regard," Sudhakar further added. "It is not true that one will become completely immunised from COVID infection once he/she is vaccinated. However, severity of infection will be less in those who have received vaccination. People who have got vaccines are not facing severity in infection. We have seen instances where those who have not taken vaccines are getting admitted to ICUs. I urge all eligible persons to take the vaccine without any hesitation," said the Minister.

Health workers have to be a model to society by getting the vaccine. "If they are not getting it, we can't ask others to take it," he said.