Karnataka to receive 13.9 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses in a couple of days: Health Minister
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Friday said the state is expected to receive 13.9 lakh doses of Covid vaccine in two days.
“The big good news for Karnataka is that I have received information from the Union Health Ministry that tomorrow (Saturday) or the day after (Sunday) we will probably be receiving 13.9 lakh doses of vaccine for the state,” Sudhakar said.
Dr Rajani Nageshrao, deputy director, Immunisation, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Karnataka, told DH, “The vaccine consignment will be sent by air to Karnataka. It will be initially stored in Bengaluru and Belagavi state vaccine stores and then distributed.”
The vaccines have to travel 35 km from the Kempegowda International Airport near Devanahalli to reach the vaccine store at the old health department office in Anand Rao Circle.
“Each vial has 10 doses. One consignment of 1,13,400 vials (with 11.34 lakh doses) will be flown from Pune to Bengaluru and another consignment of 25,800 vials (with 2.58 lakh doses) will be flown from Pune to Belagavi. In all, there are 1,39,200 vials (with 13.92 lakh doses). The supplier is currently waiting for GoI’s instructions for dispatch. One walk-in cooler is sufficient to store these vials at each vaccine store,” she added.
Dr Ishwar Gadad, In-charge District Immunisation Officer, Belagavi, said, "Our walk-in cooler has 6,000 litres capacity which means we can store 13 lakh doses. The 25,000 odd vials that they're sending amounts to 2.5 lakh doses. The walk-in cooler will have four lakh vaccine doses of routine immunisation programme. In all, we'll hold 6.5 lakh doses of vaccine doses in this vaccine store, which is recognised as a state vaccine store."
Tilakwadi Vaccine Depot where the Belagavi State Vaccine Store is located is spread over a sprawling 160 acres. The distance between this depot and the domestic Belagavi Airport is ten km, which is a small airport in Sambra village. A pharmacy officer has already been deputed to a vaccine van which is currently stationed at the depot. This vaccine van will be used to ferry the vaccines from the airport to the depot."From here, we will send it to eight districts, in total: Bijapur, Bagalkot, Koppal, Gadag, Belagavi, Karwar, Dharwad, and Haveri. They will bring insulated vaccine vans and we will pack it with ice packs, and give it to them in cold boxes. The state has informed us that the vaccine consignment can come anytime. We will go to the airport once it comes," Gadad added.
On enquiring, if the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) was preparing to receive any vaccine consignment, in an email, BIAL responded saying no preparations were underway.
"We have registered 6.30 lakh healthcare professionals in Karnataka till date. Those who are left out, may be in some medical or dental colleges, we have requested them to register," K Sudhakar said adding that health workers will be followed by those with co-morbidities, those above 60 years and those in other departments like Police and Revenue working during the pandemic.
He was speaking at Aster CMI Hospital at Sahakar Nagar in Hebbal on Outer Ring Road.