BENGALURU: The full-fledged vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group in Karnataka was launched on Monday amid shortage of vaccine doses, confusion and delays at inoculation centres. At K C General Hospital in Bengaluru, one of the centres for the vaccination drive, there were long queues, mismanagement of different age groups of beneficiaries, confusion on ground and fights between beneficiaries and authorities.
Three categories of people had turned up at the hospital - those who had registered on the CoWIN portal and got a slot, those who had registered but without a slot, and some walking in directly. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had instructed the hospital to give the jabs to only those registered with slots, drawing the ire of those who were waiting from as early as 6 am. Those without access to CoWIN, smartphones and computers were left out of the vaccine process. A token system was introduced at the Government School of Nursing building for those who were registered but did not get a slot at KC General.
Karnataka healthcare workers worried about people crowding vax centres
Abhijeet (28), a businessman, had been trying to get a slot ever since the vaccination drive was announced for the 18-44 age group on May 1 and finally got it for Monday. He arrived at KC General Hospital at 6.30 am with a reference ID and got a token at 8 am.
“Till 9 am, we stood at one spot and later on, we were told that the vaccination for this age group was happening elsewhere. The entire process is mismanaged,” he said. Kshiraj, a 33-year-old resident of Malleswaram, said, “We registered but did not get a slot. The staff gave us a token and we have been waiting since 7.30 am. People who registered and got a slot did not turn up. The unused doses should be given to the rest of us.”
A furious Premjit Singh asked what would happen to those without computers and smartphones. “Should they not be given vaccines? Should they be allowed to die? Is this the way to roll out the vaccine? I could not get an appointment for several days. When the confirmation finally came, it incorrectly put me in the 45-plus age group. I have been standing for five-and-ahalf hours,” he said. Sunitha and Uma, both security staff working with Namma Metro, registered without getting a slot and were waiting since 6 am on Monday. They said they have not had food since morning and had left their children at home.
“They should give vaccines to people who could not book slots as well. Why is it only being given to those with appointments?” they asked. A nursing officer said that people are anxious that vaccine stocks would run out and no one was maintaining social distancing, which could lead to the centre turning into a hotspot. “People are crowding the area. We cannot help those who do not know how to register on CoWIN, as we are short on manpower to attend to them,” she said.
KC General Medical Superintendent Dr BR Venkateshaiah said the hospital received a list of 150 people registered with slots, but by 1 pm, only 57 people turned up. “We are ready to give it to everyone, but the BB MP has to issue clear guidelines on those who are registered without a slot and those who are walking in directly. The corporation says there will be an accountability problem if we administer the vaccine to those who are not registered,” he added.
The drive was launched at eight government centres in Mysuru district, including two in the city, and 1,102 individuals were inoculated on the first day. While there were delays in Mysuru due to shortage of doses and staff, it was a smooth start at centres in taluks. In Madikeri, the drive started at only one centre with 150 doses of Covishield. In the neighbouring Dakshina Kannada district, the drive will kick off from Tuesday as 6,500 doses of vaccine were received only on Monday.
In Dharwad, the drive was organised on Monday evening that too only for the district hospital, as the supply of vaccines was delayed. As per the Health Department, 6,737 people in the 18-44 age group received the first dose till 3.30 pm on Monday, taking the total number of beneficiaries to 17,519.