'Very Chaotic; Highly Impressive': Delhi's 18+ Vaccine Drive Draws Mixed Reactions
Only twelve Indian states have started vaccinating 18-44 year olds against Covid-19 in the third phase of the country¡¯s inoculation drive. Yet, the pace of administration is arguably pretty slow.
Some of our colleagues went out in a hot May afternoon to take their jab and returned with their experiences about how the authorities have planned the execution of world's #largestvaccinationdrive.
"Took me 3 and a half hours"
Gaurav Mehta, a senior content creator went for his first jab to Girls Government School in Chhattarpur, Delhi.?
"It took me 3 and a half hours to get vaccinated. It was exhausting especially due to the scorching heat. Very chaotic but probably because it was the first day of the centre," he said. While the authorities were trying their best, Gaurav added that the people waiting to get the shot were impatient and many of them fought with the security personnel.?
"Initially, they told me that the server crashed and the vaccinator needed to be replaced which wasted a lot of my time," he said.
"Very well managed"
Senior News Correspondent Shweta Sengar who also went to the same centre for her COVID-19 vaccine jab shares a rather contrasting experience than Gaurav. She said, "The centre was very well managed by the staff, taking care of social distancing and other norms in places. People who had come to get vaccinated were very cooperative."
She said that the entire process from verification/registration to getting the jab and then waiting under observation was carried out very smoothly. "The people administering the jab were very supportive and told about the side effects, in case there were any and how to treat them," she said.
"Credit where due"
Sylvester Tamang is our chief copy editor. He got his vaccine shot at Govt Boys Senior Secondary School, Hari Nagar and says he would give credit where it's due. He said, "Highly impressed with the vaccination process. He added, "Doctors explained to us everything and it took around 2 hours for the whole process."
"There was proper post-dose observation, guidance was given. Special mention for Delhi Police," he said.?
"Covid tests were done in next room"
Our senior entertainment writer Garima Satija booked a slot at Fazilpur UPHC, Gurugram. She explains that the vaccination drive didn't begin until 10 am as opposed to starting at 9 am.
"At least 30 people had gathered outside waiting for their turn. Most people didn't follow the social distancing norm. So, in order to be safe, I waited for an hour and a half in our car, then got in the queue after the crowd had cleared to an extent," said Garima.
She said, "Surprisingly, there were COVID-19 tests being done in the adjacent room. The way to both the rooms was common. So, the patients and those in the queue for vaccination entered from the same door."
"We asked the official verifying details of the appointment why such unsafe practices were being carried out, and he said, "ab kya kar sakte hain," she said.
