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Karnataka speeds up Covid-19 vaccination for differently-abled, 30% covered

There are 8.62 lakh differently-able citizens in Karnataka
Last Updated 10 June 2021, 04:29 IST

The state government has vaccinated about 30% of the state's differently-abled citizens following directions from the Karnataka High Court to inoculate them against the Covid-19 infection on priority.

According to officials in the Department of Empowerment of Differently-abled and Senior Citizens, the government started a special drive to vaccinate the differently-abled and have covered about 1.60 lakh people across the state. As per data, there are 8.62 lakh differently-able citizens in Karnataka, of which 2.5 lakh are in the age group of 45-60 while 2.96 lakh are between 18 and 44 years.

The department has tied up with the NGOs and has deputed nodal officers at the taluk-level to coordinate the special drive. In several places, the volunteers are ferrying people to the nearest vaccination centres. In cases where the differently-abled cannot go to the vaccination centres, the vaccines are being given at home.

Speaking to DH, V Muniraju, director, Department of Empowerment of Differently-Abled and Senior Citizens, said the department had set up helplines at the taluk-level. If a person cannot go to the vaccination centre, they call the helpline and arrangements will be made to vaccinate them at home.

In an effort to ensure that no one is left out, the government is not insisting on any ID cards for the purpose of vaccination. "They do not even have to show the Unique Disability ID (UDID card)," he explained.
The department has identified these citizens based on the database of differently-abled citizens' pensions. However, in each taluk, if someone is left out of the loop, they can reach out to the nodal officer and they too will be vaccinated.

Nonetheless, convincing people still remains a challenge, according to the official. "Many people fear that vaccination leads to fatalities. We are conducting awareness programmes through village rehabilitation workers and urban rehabilitation workers," he added.

Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga and Chikkamagaluru are among the districts where much taboo around vaccination has been observed. On the other hand, districts such as Davangere (75% differently-abled vaccinated), Kolar (63%), Chikkaballapur (60%) have shown good results. Bengaluru Urban has seen 40% vaccinations, according to the data available with the department.

While this is the first phase of the special drive, the government has planned a second phase where those left out now will also be covered, the officials said.

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(Published 10 June 2021, 03:58 IST)

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