Remain cautious for 4-6 weeks, follow COVID-19 guidelines to control next wave: Karnataka minister
3,000 govt vaccination centres from Monday: Health Minister
Target is to vaccinate 1.5 lakh people daily
BENGALURU:
Starting Monday, March 8, Covid-19 vaccination will be administered at around 3,000 government centres, including PHCs, taluk hospitals and district hospitals. The target is to vaccinate 1.5 lakh people daily, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar. Speaking after a meeting on Saturday to review the Covid-19 situation and the progress of the vaccination drive, the Minister urged citizens to come forward in large numbers to take the vaccine.
In recent weeks, 200-250 positive cases were being reported in BBMP limits daily, but on Friday the number of infections suddenly increased to 400. The Minister said 12 clusters have been identified in BBMP limits and testing will be increased to 40,000 from the current 30,000.
Strict contact tracing
Contact tracing will also be made more robust, in keeping with the Centre’s directive to trace 20 primary and secondary contacts for each positive case. All these 20 contacts will be subjected to Covid-19 tests, said Sudhakar.
The Minister felt the challenging situation was due to the spurt in Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring states of Kerala and Maharashtra. Along with strict measures at the inter-state borders, restrictions on large gatherings would also be tightened. Reiterating that not more than 500 people would be allowed at gatherings, Sudhakar said he would speak to the police department to enforce this restriction strictly.
Call for more vigilance
The Chief Minister will hold a video conference with officials of districts where cases are high. Since there are more inter-state travellers coming to to Mangaluru, testing will be ramped up there. Instructions have been issued to officials of Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Udupi, Kodagu, Belagavi and Tumkuru to be more vigilant, the Minister said.
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