BENGALURU: A 102-year-old retired Indian Army officer from Bengaluru was one of the oldest people
to get the jab in Karnataka on Monday, when the nationwide immunisation of the elderly and people with comorbidities began. Subramanian K N (102), a retired Army officer, who got his shot at Columbia Asia Hospital in Hebbal said, “I decided to take it as I’m in the vulnerable group and don’t want to spread the infection. I wasn’t afraid because in the past, I had been prepared to face bullets too. I have had a healthy life so far and now I feel even safer.”
Over 1,576 people above 60 years got their first dose of the vaccine across the state. Districts such as Mysuru (285), Bengaluru Urban (170), Ballari (168), and Uttara Kannada (120) saw better turn out compared other parts of the state. Retired director of projects at Intelsat, a satellite communication provider, Ramaswami Parthasarathy (97), was the first to get vaccinated at Manipal Hospitals. “I was not hesitant as I have worked as a scientist and am a strong believer of science. As I’m a senior citizen and have blood pressure (issues), I registered in the morning and took the jab around 2 pm. I had no side-effects and I feel safe now. People should learn to dispel worries as the future cannot be predicted,” he said.
Bannerghatta resident Hemagandhi (71) said, “I got myself registered on Arogya Setu at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghata Road around 5 pm. By 5.50 pm I was vaccinated. Initially, I was a little scared, but now I feel, we must get vaccinated to be safe. I came with my 67-year-old brother and his 64-year-old wife. We had no side-effects and are satisfied with the process.”
A 62-year-old who came to KC General Hospital, said she registered on the Co-WIN portal and was vaccinated half-an-hour later. She said she never thought the process would be so smooth.Inder Neel Singh (54), employed at a manufacturing unit, said he waited at Aster CMI Hospital for two hours to get his shot. “As I had diabetes, I decided to get vaccinated and came with my 87-year-old father. The overall process was smooth.”
From now on, registrations will be done a day in advance, said Dr Firozahmad H Torgal, deputy chief of medical services at Columbia Asia Hospital in Yeshwanthpur. People must register on Co-WIN 2.0, not the earlier version of the app. “After about five days, walk-in registration will be allowed. However, it is better to go through the Co-WIN portal in a place like Bengaluru, so that is effectively implemented. Otherwise, it will be a mess as we have to ensure that the vaccine is not wasted,” Dr Firozahmad said.