Vaccination drive to begin at 300 more facilities in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: With beneficiaries flocking to hospitals in numbers, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to start vaccination at 300 more facilities. Currently, 25 hospitals are part of the vaccination drive’s phase II. From next week, sessions will begin at 107 private hospitals that have at least 100 beds and 141 primary healthcare centres, apart from several referral hospitals. On Monday, when phase II was launched, 1,063 beneficiaries took their first dose. The next day, the number climbed to 3,128.

“Wednesday’s target was 4,500, but we achieved the figure of 5,238 as beneficiaries are keen on getting vaccinated and hospitals are performing very well,” P Rajendra Cholan, BBMP special commissioner (health), told TOI.

Cholan, BBMP chief N Manjunatha Prasad and other civic officials visited Manipal Hospital to inspect the drive. On overcrowding at hospitals, Cholan said: “This is the initial rush and we should not worry much. It will reduce when the number of facilities for vaccination increases. It is nice to see so many people showing interest in taking the jab after many frontline workers failed to do so.”

BBMP has been making efforts to create awareness about the drive in slums. “There are 15 lakh people who are aged above 60 and in the age group of 45 to 59 with comorbidities. But many elders in slums don’t know about the Co-Win portal. We are sending ASHA workers to the areas to educate them,” Prasad said. “Our objective is to ensure that everybody gets the jab.”