COIMBATORE: Several beneficiaries in the district who have taken the first dose of vaccine said they are yet to receive a confirmation SMS. This comes at a time when many people are coming forward to get the jab. They fear that without record, the process of getting the second dose might be affected.
Sources said there are details of around 15,000 beneficiaries that are needed to be uploaded on the Co-WIN portal.
The delay in updating personal details -- beneficiary’s name, Aadhaar ID, and contact number — on the portal will affect the beneficiaries as they will be unable to prove that they had been vaccinated with the first dose, sources added.
Also, a beneficiary would be able to download the online certificate only if he or she receives the SMS from the portal.
T Shankar (63), a resident of Ramanathapuram said, “During vaccination, the staff noted down my details. But, I have not received any confirmation SMS. I am also not able to download the digital certificate because of this.” Another beneficiary said that he had to visit the health centre multiple times only to get an SMS a month after getting the first dose.
When contacted, an official told TNIE that they have instructed the health staff to upload the details on the Co-WIN portal.
“There is a backlog of details of the beneficiaries which needs to be uploaded on the portal. With people crowding the vaccination centres, the details could not be uploaded at that time. But, delaying the process would lead the Central government to assume that only a minimal number of people have been inoculated,” he explained.