District Health Officers disappointed 

Mysore/Mysuru: There has been poor response to the second round of vaccination drive for healthcare workers with hardly negligible beneficiaries turning up at vaccination centres in city this morning.

Till noon, only three persons had taken the second dose at Trauma Care Centre on KRS Road, that too without waiting for the SMS from Health Department. Interestingly, no beneficiary has called up the officers concerned over non-receipt of details of vaccination booth, date and time. “It seems beneficiaries are not interested to take the second dose of Covishield though it is must to enable the body to develop immunity after 48 days of the first shot,” a Senior Health Officer told Star of Mysore.

In the morning, the vaccinators were fully prepared to administer the second dose of vaccine at Trauma Centre but the healthcare workers did not turn up. This has naturally disappointed Health Department Officers, who are learnt to have taken the pain of sending information in advance to all beneficiaries and also managing the vaccination drive by opening the COVID-19 Vaccination Control Room at the new DC Office Complex in city.

According to him, the situation has been same throughout the district on the first day of second round of vaccination for healthcare workers. 

Early birds to Trauma Care Vaccination Centre were Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, Founder, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM) and Dr. H.M. Virupaksha, Medical Superintendent, PKTB Hospital, who took the second dose and left after spending the mandatory 30 minutes at Observation Room. 

U. Sandesh, an ambulance driver at K.R. Hospital, who had transported over hundred dead bodies of COVID-19 victims to burial grounds and crematorium a few months ago, too took the second dose this morning.

The Health Department Officers are baffled as to why all those who took the vaccine on Jan. 16 have failed to turn up today in spite of knowing well that the second dose must be taken after 28 days. 

“If they haven’t received the SMS, they should have contacted the mobile number given on the day of taking the first jab. We don’t know why so much of laxity, that too among healthcare staff. Nothing can be done more than this,” the Officer rued.

Resident Medical Officers (RMOs) have been asked to contact and bring all those staff members who had taken the first dose of vaccination on Jan. 16 to the vaccination booths. The Health Department does not know if non-receipt of SMS by the beneficiaries was due to glitches in CoWIN App or they did not turn up purposefully due to lack of interest in vaccine. In fact, a majority of ASHA workers and nursing students had not turned up during the first round of vaccination. Now, those who have registered their names in CoWIN App have been given last chance till  Feb. 25 to get vaccinated.

Dr. Madhukumar, Assistant Professor (Medicine), Dr. Lakshmegowda, Head, Department of Medicine, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) and Dr. L. Ravi, Reproductive and Child Health Officer (RCHO) and Immunisation Officer of COVID-19 Vaccine were present at Trauma Centre.

‘Will report to State authorities’

Responding to poor response to second dose of vaccine,  Dr. Ravi said enquiry with Taluk Health Officers has revealed that a majority of beneficiaries have not received intimation about today’s vaccination due to technical fault in CoWIN App. The same will be brought to the notice of State authorities who are in-charge of the App. Those who have missed out vaccination today would be given another date to get it, he added.