New Delhi: Sambhrant, a 29-year-old Delhi resident, was disappointed when he was unable to get himself registered on the CoWin app for his Covid-19 vaccination. Vaccinations for those above the age of 18 opened on 1 May, but owing to technical glitches and apprehensions of shortage of vaccine doses, there were initial difficulties in registrations.
Fortunately for Sambhrant, however, he was able to get his shots on 2 May, the very next day after it opened for those in his age group.
“Initially, I was unable to find any slots for vaccination. But last night, as government schools were made into vaccination centers and vaccine doses were made available to them, many slots opened up,” the 29-year-old said Sunday.
Sambhrant and his brother got vaccinated at a government school in West Vinod Puri. “There were many volunteers and policemen deployed at the centre. I had the 10am-12pm slot, so I reached exactly on time. Many people had arrived before time, so there was a queue and I had to wait for about 15 minutes, after which we were called in for our shots. It was smoothly done and we were back home in two hours,” said, Sambhrant, who received the Covishield vaccine.
Not everyone in the national capital though, had an equally easy time of it — long queues and disgruntled people were spotted at some centres. There was even a fight at one of the centres visited by ThePrint.
According to orders issued by the Delhi government, 77 schools in different areas across the city have been converted into vaccination centres for those in the 18-45 age group. Private hospitals too are providing vaccinations, but these facilities were comparatively less crowded, since charges for a single dose here could be as high as Rs 1,250.
In a statement issued to the media Sunday, the Delhi government said that “In total, more than 33 lakh doses have been administered since the beginning of the Covid vaccination drive in Delhi. More than seven lakh beneficiaries have received both doses of the vaccine.”
On vaccinating the 18-44 year old category, the statement added that, “Delhi started vaccination in full vigor with 301 sites at 76 new locations for [those in] 18-44 age group on 03.05.2021, having more than 45,000 daily vaccination capacity. Almost all are booked for 03.05.2021 and next two days. There are about 92 lakh people in Delhi in the 18-44 years age group.”
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Of shots and short-tempers
Fights broke out Monday at the Jangpura Co-ed Secondary School among people waiting to be vaccinated. “People have been fighting since the morning because they are having to wait. Some are also having trouble registering on their phones. It takes time,” said the gatekeeper at the school.
Shijit Mazumdar, an architect who had to wait for three hours before getting his dose, told ThePrint, “ It’s hot and we have been waiting in the queue for one-and-a-half hours now. We were told that the school got the supplies very late, causing a delay in the process. I had a registration for the 10am-12pm slot, but its 1:30 pm already and there are many people ahead of me in the queue.”
The principal of the school, Harish Chandra said that people had started queuing outside the center as early as 4 am in the morning.
“People are eager to be vaccinated. Our supplies came in a little late, but we have been sent 750 doses of Covishield, 150 for each booth. Out of the five booths, only four are operating now, which has caused a delay,” he said.
By 2 pm, only 100 people had been vaccinated here.
Reassuring the waiting people, Chandra said, “We will vaccinate all those who have come here to be vaccinated. Even if we have to stay back till late in the night to do so.”
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Less rush at private facilities
Meanwhile, at Fortis hospital, Okhla, the crowd had thinned by the afternoon, the official spokesperson of the hospital, Hemant Joshi, told ThePrint.
“We had a booking for 100 doses, of which about 70 have already been administered. We are spacing out the visits of people to ensure that there is no crowding or spreading of the disease here,” he said.
While some stayed away from private facilities owing to the higher price of vaccines, those who didn’t mind the cost, like, Deeti Narayan, a 42-year-old homemaker, who got her first dose at the hospital, said, “We came here from Paschim Vihar in West Delhi because we didn’t want to wait in long queues. It is better to spend some extra money than fall sick owing to the wait.”
The Max Hospital at Patparganj saw longer queues, with slots being booked till Monday in the 18-44 category.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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