Karnataka HC asks state govt to submit COVID vaccine demand to Centre, action in 72 hours

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the state government to submit a requisition to the Centre for the required quantity of COVID vaccine doses along with the number of beneficiaries who were likely to lose the effect of the first dose of the vaccine as a result of the delay in administering the second dose. A division bench led by Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Arvind Kumar noted that the Centre should take action within three days of the Karnataka govt submitting the requisition and said that it was virtually impossible for people to receive the first dose of COVID vaccine unless they were categorised as healthcare workers or frontline workers.

The HC bench directed the state govt to administer the remainder of 7,76,671 vaccine doses at their disposal 'firstly to those beneficiaries who have taken the first dose and requisite period of the second dose as per notification of central govt' and that the second priority be given to healthcare workers and frontline warriors. 

Terming the scenario of vaccine availability in the state as 'shocking', the Karnataka HC bench asked the state government to evolve a system that could assist the citizens in registering for the inoculation drive and took on record that 1,72,00,795 vaccine doses had already been administered in the state. The Court also sought the response of the state on the availability of vaccines for two groups i.e people aged 60 and above and 45 to 59 yrs with co-morbidities. Hearing a batch of petitions on the management of COVID in the state, the division bench led by Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Arvind Kumar asked the state government to draw a plan to ensure the arrest of the COVID spread in Bengaluru slums after advocate Clifton Rozario pointed out that the 'infection is spreading rapidly in slums and information as to where they can go to for treatment is not made available'. 

Centre moves SC over HC order on Oxygen

The Centre has moved Supreme Court challenging Karnataka HC's order asking for the supply of liquid medical oxygen to the state to be enhanced from the existing quota ogff 985 MT to 1200 MT. A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the state is being supplied 965 MT LMO presently and the order needed to be stayed urgently. The bench, also comprising Justice M R Shah, said it will have to look at the paper book before issuing any order.

COVID-19 vaccination drive in Karnataka

Noting that the vaccine is the biggest weapon to defeat COVID, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday had said that the government was leaving no stone unturned to inoculate everyone at the earliest. A record one crore inoculations, comprising the first and second doses of the vaccine, have been done since the start of the vaccination drive on January 16, the department said. According to the health department officials, the one crore inoculations comprise the first and the second doses. The Karnataka government had kept the vaccination of people between '18 years and above' symbolic as it is awaiting the vaccines to arrive from the manufacturers. The state has decided to vaccinate all those eligible for free of cost. 

Karnataka's COVID-19 situation

Karnataka on Wednesday reported the single largest day spike in both COVID-19 cases and fatalities since the start of the pandemic, with 50,112 infections and 346 deaths. This took the total caseload to nearly 17.5 lakh and the fatalities to 16,884. The previous highest numbers were on May 1 when the state logged 48,296 cases and 292 deaths, the health department said. Bengaluru Urban alone accounted for 23,106 infections and 161 fatalities.