Vaccination for those aged over 45 off to a smooth start in Bengaluru

The opening up of vaccination for those aged 45 and above without comorbidities on Thursday was by and large smooth in Bengaluru, despite minor glitches with the Co-Win portal.

Private and government hospitals across the city reported little or no hiccups with the Co-Win portal, which had been the bone of contention during the start of the previous phases of the vaccination drive. Medical staffers said an increased number of people had opted for Covaxin.

The BBMP told DH that 15,986 people without comorbidities had been vaccinated within its jurisdiction on Thursday.

Health Commissioner Dr Thrilok Chandra said there were no daily targets, but vaccinators had been instructed to get through the 1.66-crore target population within a month.

At Bangalore Medical Centre and Research Institute (BMCRI), 299 vaccinations were carried out. “Of this, 163 were aged 45 to 59 without comorbidities,” explained Dr Ranganath S, nodal officer for vaccines, BMCRI. The remaining were frontline workers and senior citizens.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

Some 50 people were vaccinated using Covaxin. Across the city, separate sites were formed at each centre to dispense Covishield or Covaxin inoculations.

Numbers were not unusually higher at Fortis Hospital on Bannerghatta Road, where only 129 citizens were vaccinated, in comparison to 130 people on an average who were vaccinated over the course of the previous week.

At KC General Hospital, however, staffers inoculated 559 people, which is a significant jump compared to the 300-odd normally vaccinated at that centre, according to Dr B R Venkateshaiah, medical superintendent.

Staff said problems with the Co-Win portal initially prevented the registration of the above 45 group without comorbidities, but that this was ironed out by afternoon. “In total, 191 people above 45 years without comorbidities were vaccinated,” Dr Venkateshaiah said.

Surprisingly, of the total vaccination dispensed, 480 jabs were of Covaxin and 79 Covishield. “A greater number of the public demanded Covaxin," he added.

In contrast, Sir CV Raman General Hospital administered 200 Covishield and 144 Covaxin jabs.

Manipal Hospitals on Old Airport Road said over 700 people were vaccinated during the day. Among them was Jaya Jaspal Manish, 45, an HR executive who was the first to get the shot. According to Manipal, 55.5 per cent had opted for Covaxin.