A first-of-its-kind mobile COVID-19 vaccine center was inaugurated in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi on Wednesday. Two buses have been converted by The North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) to reach remote villages as part of the state’s ongoing vaccination drive. The present service is set to kickstart in Chincholi taluk from Thursday. Flagged off by Rajkumar Patil Telkur, Chairman, NEKRTC, the ‘vaccination-on-wheels’ service will be available 24x7 and the vaccinations will be provided free of cost in order to get more people in remote areas vaccinated against the virus.
The district administration and the Health Department will be monitoring the smooth functioning of the vaccination drive. According to the chairman’s office, the centers will be present in each taluk of Kalaburagi Division 1 and 2 for about three days before shifting to the next as per the designated route. “The concept of mobile centers was implemented with an aim to reach villages or ‘tandas’ (hamlets) which do not have easy access to hospitals or primary health centres (PHC),” said Santosh Kumar, Divisional Controller, NEKRTC, Kalaburgi. This will help tackle the zero vaccination rate and vaccine hesitancy in some villages in the district, while also spreading awareness on the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, the official added.
The two buses which have been converted, are expected to have doctors, nurses and taluk officials present during the drive. Each bus consists of three sections, a pre-vaccination area for registrations, a vaccination area, and a post-vaccination area for observation. Two separate entry and exit doors will be maintained. "We converted the buses in just 24 hours with about 20 mechanics at work, and we are ready to convert more if the administration asks for it,” Nagaraj Warad, Divisional Mechanical Engineer, NEKRTC Kalaburagi Division 1, told TNM.
Meanwhile, as per official data, Kalaburagi on Tuesday had completed a total of 3.89 lakh COVID-19 vaccinations. "Cumulatively, 1.76 crore beneficiaries, including senior citizens, healthcare workers and frontline warriors have received the shot since the vaccination drive was launched across Karnataka on January 16," the state’s daily bulletin added.