More seniors receive Covid shots on day two

BENGALURU: Following rectification of some of  the teething problems in Phase-3 of the Covid vaccination programme on Monday, Day 2 of the process on Tuesday saw improved attendance by senior citizens and those aged above 45 with co-morbidities. However, it was not without problems for senior citizens, mainly from the CoWIN app meant for registering and facilitating smooth vaccination process.

As per the Health Department data, 10,046 people were inoculated across the state on Tuesday. This includes 1,147 people with co-morbidities in the age group of 45-60 and 5,166 citizens aged above 60.

The total number of people in Karnataka vaccinated now stands at 8.35 lakh since January 16, when the first phase of the vaccination programme opened for health care workers followed by frontline Covid warriors. On Monday, only 374 people aged between 45 and 60, and 1,576 senior citizens were vaccinated.

Among those who were vaccinated in Karnataka on Tuesday were Governor Vajubhai Vala, who took the jab at K C General Hospital in Malleswaram, Bengaluru; Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K S Eshwarappa and his wife Jayalakshmi at the District Ayurvedic Hospital centre in Shivamogga; Agriculture Minister BC Patil (at his home in Hirekerur); and Wipro founder chairman Azim Premji, at Narayana Health City, Bengaluru.

However, although the day saw a much higher number of senior citizens and those with comorbidities aged between 45 and 60, it was not without persisting technical glitches like on Monday. The CoWIN portal/app that is meant to ensure easy and quick registration and smooth flow of the vaccination process, continued to be dogged by glitches, making it difficult for senior citizens.Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and his wife Nutan Goel took the first dose of the indigenously developed vaccine Covaxin at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute, a private facility.