As many as 4.14 lakh children between 15-18 years received their first dose of the COVID-19 on Monday. The State Government, which had planned to cover 6.38 lakh beneficiaries across Karnataka, was able to meet 65% of its target.
In Bengaluru, 29,423 eligible children were vaccinated in 287 vaccination centres. Ten out of 31 districts exceeded their vaccination target, while 11 did not meet 50% of their vaccination targets.
Vaccination certificate
Vaccination drives were held in most schools and PU colleges. Many schools and PU colleges in Karnataka announced that it was mandatory for students to get the shot to attend physical classes and write the board examination, causing panic among parents and students.
Stating that vaccination certificate is mandatory for writing the board examination, the management of one private school in Bengaluru instructed students to submit their first dose certificate by the end of the week.
Mahesh S., a parent of a Class X student said, “We wanted to wait for a month or so and see if there are any adverse effects reported due to the vaccination. But by asking us to submit certificates by the end of the week, schools are putting pressure which we are against,” he said. Some schools couched it as guidelines instead of making it mandatory.
There were cases of students not receiving their shots as they had forgotten to get their consent letters or their Aadhaar cards.
Mansoor Ali Khan, member, Board of Management, Delhi Public School, said they received a good response to the vaccination drive that was held in three of their schools. They have partnered with a private hospital for the drive. He said around 400 students will be vaccinated every day till the end of the month.
Lokesh Talikatte, president of Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association said many of their school associations made vaccination mandatory for students if they wanted to attend physical classes. “We received a great response in rural schools in Karnataka as we have made this mandatory due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the State,” he said.
Many parents chose not to send their children to the camps organised in schools amidst fears that expired but relabelled Covaxin shots would be used. Instead they have opted for sessions at private hospitals. B.C. Nagesh, Primary and Secondary Education Minister, appealed to parents and students to ensure that those eligible get their shots. “We want to ensure that the continuity in students’ education does not get affected because of the pandemic,” he said.