Coronavirus | In north Karnataka, poor access to medical facilities, fear of vaccination

Bandarwad gram panchayat in the Kalaburagi district in north Karantaka has so far reported 56 COVID-19 cases, all of them in the second wave. Four persons have succumbed to the virus so far. Apart fro

Bandarwad gram panchayat in the Kalaburagi district in north Karantaka has so far reported 56 COVID-19 cases, all of them in the second wave. Four persons have succumbed to the virus so far. Apart from the deaths confirmed to have been caused by COVID-19, the village saw the deaths of 14 people above 60 years in the last two weeks in whom the coronavirus infection was not confirmed. However, of the population of approximately 7,800 in the villages of Sirasagi, Teggelli, Huvanahalli and Bandarwad, only 226 people had been vaccinated on Wednesday. The poor vaccination coverage in the villages is attributed to a lack of awareness and shortage of vaccines. “A man developed some complications after he received COVID-19 vaccination recently. He had to spend a lot of money to get treated at a private hospital in Kalaburagi. This has led to fear of vaccination and of potential expenses,” said Rajendra Sardar, an advocate from the village.