Karnataka ready with cold chain system for Covaxin: Minister

Bengaluru, Dec 20 : Karnataka has an adequate cold chain system across the state to store and distribute the coronavirus vaccine, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Sunday.
“The cold chain system for storing childhood vaccines will also be sufficient enough to store and transport Covid-19 vaccine across the state,” said Sudhakar in a statement here, allaying fears of facing problems in handling the supplies.
The state has 2,870 cold chain points for universal immunisation programme, which is over 10 per cent of the country’s 28,932 points.
The state has two stores in Bengaluru and Belagavi and five regional stores at Chitradurga, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Kalaburgi and Bagalkot, with walk-in coolers and walk-in-freezers to store large quantities of vaccine at regional levels and distribute them.
“All the 30 districts, including Bengaluru have sufficient ice-lined refrigerators and deep freezers to store vaccines,” said Sudhakar, who is a medical doctor himself.
With 2,855 cold chain points in district hospitals, medical colleges, taluka hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres and urban primary health centres well equipped to administer the vaccine to all sections of society on priority, beginning with healthcare warriors and elders.