Karnataka excludes people with comorbidities from the 18+ inoculation drive

Bengaluru: Karnataka is ready to resume the vaccination drive for those between the age group 18-44 from Saturday. But, this will only be for frontline workers and priority groups. Those with comorbidities have also been left out.

Doctors are of the view that people with conditions like diabetes, renal issues, heart ailments, and cancer are the ones who are most vulnerable to the virus as they visit the hospitals frequently. Thus, they need to be vaccinated.

Doctors said, “There are several young patients with cancer, kidney disorders, heart ailments, and diabetes who do not fall into any other category.” Despite this, the government has included people with special needs in the priority groups.

The government had started the drive to vaccinate the younger people on May 14 but had stopped the same within three days due to a shortage of vaccines.

The government plans to cover people with special needs, family members of healthcare workers, teachers given Covid-19 duties, prisoners, crematorium workers, government transport staff, auto and cab drivers, officials working in electricity and water supplying utilities, postal department staff, street vendors, judicial officers, media persons, caretakers of patients, child protection officers, staffers in pharmaceutical companies, people who supply essentials to hospitals, employees of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and staffers working in APMC.

The frontline workers are needed to submit a form signed by authorities to confirm their employment status. Also, they are required to show their ID cards.

Besides, the government has identified priority groups in 18 different categories which are inclusive of construction workers, telecom and internet service workers, airline service workers, bank officials, petrol pump workers, advocates, hotel workers, those working in the film industry, KMF workers, railway workers, garment factory workers, forest department officials, NHAI officials, GAIL workers, RSK officials, state and national level sportsmen and HAL officials.

However, the circular does not state when the vaccination drive for the priority group will begin, but it will be in the coming days.

The exclusion of people with comorbidities has become a great concern in the medical community. Dr V Suriraju, urologist and director of Regal hospitals said, “Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, coronary artery diseases and kidney issues must be vaccinated quickly, but they have been ignored.”

He also said that many private hospitals have agreed to conduct vaccination drive, but the hospitals have not yet got permission from the manufacturers. He said, “The government had stopped supplying doses to the private sector since May 1. The current vaccination strategy is only creating unequal distributions and inequality.”

Even though doctors are advising their patients to get the slots through the CoWin portal where vaccine slots are being given to those between 18-44, they admit that it is nearly impossible to get the slots.

Dr Arvind C who is a Bengaluru-based nephrologist said that patients who are on dialysis or have undergone organ transplants are most likely to contract the virus. Their mortality rate could be high if they are infected.

Dr S Sundar, a city-based nephrologist said that, unlike Karnataka, Kerala has directed hospitals to vaccinate everyone between the 18-44 age group who have these comorbidities.