Bengaluru: Nearly three lakh citizens yet to take second Covid vaccine dose, contact tracing intensified
India Today
Nearly three lakh citizens in Bengaluru are yet to take their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been carrying out door-to-door surveys to convince people to take the vaccine and has also intensified contract tracing.
Even as the fear of a fourth Covid wave looms over Karnataka, around three lakh citizens of Bengaluru who are eligible to receive the second dose of the vaccine have not taken the jab. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and health officials from different primary health centres (PHCs) have been given the responsibility to contact the eligible individuals and request them to take the vaccine.
The civic body has been conducting door-to-door surveys to convince people to take the Covid-19 vaccine and contact tracing has been intensified.
Special Health Commissioner, health, BBMP, Dr KV Trilok Chandra said that health officials are now going to the homes of people who have not taken the second dose of the vaccine and are convincing them to administer the jab.
“There still seems to be some resistance. We are convincing them to take the second dose. We are also following up on those who are eligible to take the precautionary dose,” he was quoted by the Hindu as saying.
According to him, in the past two months, health workers serving with the BBMP along with the mobile vaccination units reached out to eight lakh people and they were given the second dose. With the Covid-19 cases rising in a few states, the BBMP too is likely to increase targeted testing.
"Though cases are increasing, the number of people getting admitted to hospital is low. To ensure cases don’t rise, more attention is being paid to getting people vaccinated," he told the media on Tuesday.
In a bid to ramp up Covid-19 testing, the BBMP has roped in more doctors, swab collectors and data entry operators. At present, people testing positive for the infection have reported mild to moderate symptoms and the number of hospitalisations is more in case of those who are unvaccinated and immuno-compromised, he added.
