MADURAI: Weeks after taking the first dose of Covishield, people from Tamil Nadu who are set to fly abroad for education and work say they have been left in the lurch. Though the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare permitted them to receive the second dose of the vaccine 28 days after the first dose, thousands of them say they are being turned down at vaccination centres since the CoWIN portal still prescribes an 84-day gap between the doses.
In a letter to Health Secretaries last week, Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said that until August 31, those who have to go abroad to study or work, and sportspersons and accompanying staff of the Indian contingent attending the Olympic Games in Japan, could be given the second dose of Covishield, at least 28 days after the first dose.
The letter said State governments should designate a competent authority in each district to grant permission in such cases. “The competent authority (in districts) may issue another certificate linking the vaccination certificate with the passport number of the beneficiary. The CoWIN system will soon provide the facility for the administration of the second dose in such exceptional cases,” it stated.
Dheivendran (51), a resident of Kochadai who works as a ship-repair engineer in Saudi Arabia, said he came to his hometown in January. He took the first dose of Covishield on April 9, and went for his second dose on Monday, after 67 days. “I was sent away from the vaccination centre, as they said the CoWIN portal doesn’t have any facility to make entries for exceptional cases as announced by the Central government.”
Raama Sreenivasan, a 25-year-old engineer from Thanjavur who gained admission to a Canadian college for a PG diploma, had to postpone his travel in April since direct flights were cancelled. After the Centre relaxed the rules for students going abroad, he booked his tickets for June 30. But he now seems to be left in the lurch. “I took the first dose on May 10 at a private hospital in Tiruchy, and have tried my luck at many vaccination camps in Thanjavur. But the response has been the same - they all say there is no provision on the CoWIN portal. As per Canada’s norms, it would cost Rs 60,000-1,20,000 to be quarantined for three days at a hotel. But those who are fully vaccinated are sent to 14-day quarantine at their place of stay,” he said.
Expressing apprehension over switching to another vaccine in Canada, Sreenivasan said, “Since Covishield is no longer available in Canada, I would either have to go ahead with my trip and take the first dose of a different vaccine after six months, or postpone the trip and receive the second dose of Covishield after 84 days.” He added, “I even tried taking the second dose in Kerala. But my request was declined as they were only vaccinating residents of the State and a few people from Kanniyakumari.”
A data entry staff at a vaccination centre in Madurai confirmed that the CoWIN portal doesn’t have a facility to accommodate these “exceptional” beneficiaries. “Even if someone administers the vaccine via manual registration, the beneficiary won’t be able to get the vaccination certificate as it is generated only on the CoWIN portal and there would be a mismatch in the vaccine inventory data uploaded on the portal. On Monday alone, five such international travellers who came for vaccination were turned away,” he shared.
Principal Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Welfare Dr J Radhakrishnan said that time and again the State government has been insisting that the Centre do away with the CoWIN portal. “This specific issue would be brought to the immediate notice of the Centre. Besides, the State government too would look into options, in consultation with other States, to resolve the problem in a day or two,” he promised.
Technical or system’s failure?
Many claim that CoWIN portal generating the vaccination certificates does not permit one to take the second dose before the prescribed 84-day interval