COVID-19 vaccination for the 15-18 years age group was rolled out in Mysuru on Monday, January 3, with District Minister S T Somashekar formally launching the vaccination drive at Maharani's Women's PU College in the city. Somashekar, along with MLAs L Nagendra, SA Ramadas, DC Dr Bagadi Gautham and others, launched the vaccination drive for school and college-going students in the age group of 15-18 years across the district.
Speaking to reporters, Somashekar said that the officials have identified over 1.5 lakh beneficiaries in this age group and necessary steps have been taken systematically. "For the next two days, over 100 teams will visit educational institutions across the district to inoculate students. Following that, 200 teams will be deployed to complete the first dose of vaccination for all students in the age group in the next ten days," he said.
On the first day of the vaccination drive, most of the students, especially those in the first and second year of Pre-University displayed no apprehension or fear at getting their first dose of vaccine. Ashwini, a PU student who got her first dose, said, "All my family members are fully vaccinated and I was waiting for it to be rolled out for our age group. Now I have got my first dose and would like to get fully vaccinated before our final examination begins, so I can battle COVID-19 which has turned life upside down for many in the last two years," she said.
Meanwhile, Somashekar appealed to all youngsters to get vaccinated without any hesitation and suggested health officials come up with an awareness programme or initiate steps to build confidence among the student community to get vaccinated. "The Central Government has been giving us directions and there is also an expert committee that gives us recommendations. The committee generally convenes meetings with the chief minister, giving their recommendations based on which we follow up. Tough rules will be implemented if on the suggestions of the expert committee or the centre. As of now, there is no such situation. We will keep a watch for some more days and make a decision," Minister Somashekar said. He also reassured the people that the experiences of the first two waves have been taken into account and beds, oxygen and other medical infrastructure have all been ramped up.
