Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jan 22: As far as administering coronavirus first dose vaccine is concerned, Karnataka is on the threshold of registering 100 percent achievement. With this, Karnataka has emerged as the first large size state in the country with over four crore people who are eligible for vaccination to have achieved this feat.

As many as 4,89,16,000 persons aged over 18 were identified as being eligible for the above vaccination in the state. As at the end of Friday, the number of vaccinated people reached 4,88,84,500 mark, which works out to an achievement of 99.9 percent. Among those identified, only 31,000 more people are yet to be vaccinated and on Saturday possibly they too will be fully covered. With this, Karnataka will emerge as the topper in the large states group. The second dose vaccination also is moving fast, with about 85 percent people having been vaccinated.

In 17 districts of the state, first dose vaccination has been completed. In Bengaluru urban district, both the first and second doses have been fully given. In a meeting convened recently, the chief minister has set the deadline of this month end to cover the remaining people.

The health department has been giving fillip to the vaccination drive for the 15 to 17 age group. During the last two days, over a lac children have been vaccinated and a total of 21.18 lac children out of the 31.7 lac children were vaccinated. Health minister, Dr K Sudhakar, in a tweet, said that two third of the vaccination target has been achieved.

So far, Bengalluru urban, Gadag, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Bidar, Dharwad, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Kodagu, Davanagere, Belagavi, Hassan, Mysuru, Chitradurga, Koppal, Ramanagara and Chamarajanagar districts have achieved 100 percent achievement in the first dose.

"Experts have predicted the infection to aggravate during the last week of this month and first week of February. Therefore, the government has taken all precautionary measures to handle the situation," Sudhakar stated. Speaking to media persons in the city, he revealed that the experts expect the number of infections to reach one lac mark in the next two weeks. He also said that the experts in their report have even information about the level by which infection will go down due to weekend curfew and night curfew. When asserting that the government does not want to create problems for the people by imposing lockdowns, he clarified that looking after the interests of the citizens is the primary motto of the government.

"When Infectious diseases proliferate, the government naturally takes some measures to control them. The citizens should extend cooperation to the government," he requested. He also said that the government is duty bound to protect the life and livelihood of the people and it will take decisions in way that the measures do not become burdensome for the people. He also stated that the government will implement the recommendations of the technical advisory committee and experts on the issue.