THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A large gathering of people without any social distancing at Public Health Centre (PHC) at Venmony, Alappuzha, is an instance of Covid vaccination that went wrong at the grassroots in the state. The PHC situated in a rural area is among a few vaccination centres in the region adjoining Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta. A large number of people from outside came to the PHC because they were able to book the vaccination slots ahead of the local residents.
“I managed to book slots for my mother and grandmother as I came to know about the availability via Telegram (mobile application),” said Sooraj Das, a 26-year-old hailing from Kollam’s Oachira, 30km away. His family members received the first dose at a vaccination centre near their home. But, Das had to scout around for the second dose as there was no vaccine available at the previous centre. “We were told the second dose can be booked with the help of ASHA worker in our locality. But there was no response and the due date for receiving the second dose was fast approaching,” he said.
The health department has stopped spot registration for Covid vaccination and allows only online booking of slots. It has made booking easy for the tech-savvy at the cost of others. “People in remote locations are not getting enough vaccines because several people from urban areas book slots in these vaccine centres. There are instances in Thiruvananthapuram, where the city residents go to vaccine centres in remote areas like Amboori. The digital divide and urban-rural divide will affect equitable distribution of vaccines,” said Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) president G S Vijayakrishnan.
“The token system was introduced to ensure zero wastage of vaccines. It helps vaccine centres ensure that those who have received the token will be present for the jab,” said a health official. He said the issue will be sorted out by June 21 when more vaccine centres will be set up. The department plans to provide 2 - 2.5 lakh jabs per day as part of the strategy to check the third wave.Taking note of this, KGMOA submitted proposals for scientific and equitable distribution of vaccines.