Mysore/Mysuru: City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta, District Superintendent of Police C.B. Ryshyanth, Karnataka Police Academy Director Vipul Kumar and Deputy Director Dr. Suman D. Pennekar, all IPS Officers, have taken COVID-19 vaccine to create confidence among the Department colleagues that the vaccine was safe.

These officers took the vaccine at a special camp conducted by Health Department at City Armed Reserve (CAR) Headquarters for the sake of Police personnel here yesterday.

The State Government has been trying to push up the administration of vaccine especially among frontline workers in view of lukewarm response from the day of launching vaccine drive exclusively for them from Feb 15. So far, the coverage has been just 45.7 per cent. Of the total 17,470 frontline workers, only 7,977 persons have taken vaccine till yesterday.  The frontline workers comprise Police, Home Guards, Prisons, Municipality, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Revenue, Urban Development. So far, the poor response has been from Revenue Department where only 708 persons have taken vaccine as against the total 2,225. This is despite Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri taking the  jab to prove the efficacy of the vaccine.

Daunting task

Apart from making arrangements for vaccination at various locations in the district, Officers of Health Department are meeting Heads of various Departments to convince them to take the vaccine so that other workers would follow. As part of it, Dr. L. Ravi, Reproductive and Child Health Officer and COVID-19 Immunisation Officer, and his team, have been holding sensitisation programme with various Departments to remove all doubts about the vaccine. 

Three days ago, they had met City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta and had appealed him to take the vaccine to create confidence among his staff. Accordingly, the city top cop took it yesterday. Other IPS Officers also followed the suit and got the first shot. The Government has asked Health Department to mop up drive for frontline workers by Mar. 5 and cover as much as possible within that time.

Last day today

Meanwhile, today will be the last chance for the registered healthcare workers to get the first dose of vaccine. In case they failed to get vaccinated today, their names would be frozen and they would not be able to upload their names in CoWIN portal for availing free vaccination. Already, administering the second dose of vaccine has begun last week and it is likely to be wrapped up soon. The registered healthcare workers have been sent SMS with details of time and venue for vaccination.

According to bulletin, as against 7,978 workers in MOHA category, 4,506 are vaccinated. Of the total 4,063 workers in MOHUA category, 1,632 are vaccinated. Out of 2,225 revenue workers, 708 are vaccinated. Of the total 3,204 RDPR workers, 1,131 are vaccinated. In total, as against the total of 17,470 workers, only 7,977 are vaccinated.