Karnataka awaits directions from Centre on booster dose for health workers

? In the wake of rising Omicron variant concerns, the state Covid-19 expert committee had recommended to the government to explore possibilities if a booster dose could be made available to health and frontline workers in the state.

The Centre will soon issue appropriate directions on whether administering health workers with a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine be made possible, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday.

“The Centre has confirmed that a thorough consultation on our demand for booster doses will be held with the experts soon. I was told that directions common for all states will then be issued accordingly,” Bommai said after meeting Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi.

In the wake of rising Omicron variant concerns, Bommai had requested Mandaviya to consider the same based on recommendations put forth by the state Covid-19 expert committee to explore possibilities if a booster dose could be made available to health and frontline workers in the state.

A senior official from the Department of Health and Family Welfare told The Indian Express that no specific treatment protocol was issued by the Centre for Omicron cases yet. “We are awaiting guidelines from the Centre on this. At a meeting held a couple of days ago on Omicron treatment protocol, we were told that all issues related to the new variant are being examined,” the official added.

Meanwhile, Bommai said the state was prepared with additional precautionary measures. “We need to have a different protocol, if need be. We are prepared and had already discussed this with experts anticipating the new variant in cases identified in Karnataka,” he said.

He added that Mandaviya appreciated Karnataka’s handling of the pandemic and the progress in the vaccination coverage. “Karnataka has an adequate stock of Covid-19 vaccines. We were asked to continue the pace at which vaccination is being held currently. He has also asked us to maintain stringent vigil on passengers arriving from Tamil Nadu, as is being done in case of those coming from Kerala,” Bommai said.

Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said the vaccination coverage for second dose had increased to 62 per cent. “Adding to this, 92 per cent of the entire eligible population in the state have been inoculated with at least one dose of vaccine to date. Karnataka is among the top three highly populous states in terms of vaccination coverage,” he claimed.

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