Administration of COVID-19 vaccine doses has been fluctuating in North Karnataka districts. Officials say that the differences are due to unstable supply from the central dispatch centre in Bengaluru.
The average doses administered over a period of 10 days has been around 20,000 in Belagavi, 11,000 in Vijayapura and 7,500 in Bagalkot.
But the numbers have varied from as low as 100 in Belagavi on Sunday to 61,415 on Monday. The highest number in Vijayapura was 24,816 on June 22 and the lowest was 687 on June 26. In Bagalkot, the highest was 25,903 on June 21 and the lowest was 1,933 on June 26.
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Belagavi district suffered from a severe scarcity of vaccines on Sunday, with just 98 first doses and two second doses given to those aged over 45. “We had to close down 150 of the 499 vaccination centres opened in the district on Sunday,” said a Revenue Department officer in-charge of coordinating vaccination efforts.
Meanwhile, complaints about vaccination shortage continue. Rajendra Lakkundimath, who was waiting for vaccination at the BIMS Hospital, said that he was fed up of being sent back time and again. “I have come here for four days, only to go back as the vaccines are out of stock,” he said.
Rajendra Dharani, who said that he was not given the vaccine despite registering on the Co-WIN website, suspected that MLAs were diverting vaccines to colleges, from vaccination centres in hospitals.
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Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath denied allegations of diversion of vaccines but said that efforts will be made to ensure enough supplies at all centres from this week.