8 lakh college students, staffers vaccinated against Covid-19 in Karnataka

Chamarajanagar district has achieved an impressive 97% vaccination coverage among students and staffers of colleges

As many as eight lakh students out of 21 lakh (38 per cent) college students, teachers and non-teaching staff across Karnataka have so far have been vaccinated according to the government.

The government had however previously said that the health department plans to vaccinate everyone in this category with the first dose by July first week, subject to availability of vaccines. Among these, students are less than 15 lakh in number.

Director of National Health Mission Dr Arundhathi Chandrasekhar, in a public service announcement on Friday said, "Colleges have not been functional for the past one year. This has been very difficult for students. To reopen colleges, we have started special vaccination drives on college premises where the target population is 21 lakh including supporting staff out of whom eight lakh have been vaccinated. In the coming days, based on vaccine availability, we will vaccinate more priority groups."

As per BBMP zone-wise data provided by DCM and Higher Education Minister Ashwath Narayan's office, as on July 8, 51.12 per cent of 62,255 students and staff in government degree and aided degree colleges have been vaccinated. Out of vaccinated individuals, 2,518 are staff and 31,147 are students.

In government degree and aided degree colleges in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Dharwad, Mangaluru, Shivamogga and Kalaburagi regions, out of 5,20,040 students and staff, 3,48,521 have been vaccinated which is 67 per cent.

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Chamarajanagar district has achieved an impressive 97 per cent vaccination coverage among students and staffers of colleges. Out of 8,409 students, teaching and non-teaching staff in colleges across five taluks of Chamarajanagar, Gundlupet, Kollegal, Hanur, and Yelandur, 8,136 have been vaccinated, said district immunisation officer Dr Visweswaraiah KM.

Districts like Chikkabalapur, which is the health minister's home turf, and Chitradurga have achieved a vaccination coverage of 80 per cent and 63 per cent respectively among college students and staffers.

Chikkabalapur district immunisation officer Dr Chennakeshava Reddy said out of 26,561 students and staff, across 57 colleges in six taluks, only 5,397 were yet to be vaccinated.

However, a majority of them had already gotten jabbed and only 9,134 were vaccinated at vaccination sites in college premises. "10,669 students and 1,361 staff were already vaccinated in Bagepalli, Chikkabalapur, Chinthamani, Gowribidanur, Gudibande and Sidlagatta taluks," he said.

Chitradurga has 53 degree colleges, 64 ITI colleges and eight polytechnic colleges. Out of 27,000 students and staff 16,000 are vaccinated, according to district immunisation officer Dr PC Kumaraswamy.

Kodagu district immunisation officer Dr Neelesh MN told DH, 81.9 per cent of students and staff had been vaccinated so far. "As per information from colleges, our target is 9,603 out of which 7,866 have been vaccinated."