As Covid-19 cases soar with hospitals and crematoriums overwhelmed, people are desperately searching for vaccines as stocks dwindle in both government and private inoculation centres.
Some, who still have the vaccines, are asking people to queue up at odd hours at night to register for their jab next morning.
Although some are apprehensive about adverse effects following inoculation (AEFI), most are flocking to centres for vaccination in a bid to save their lives. Potential beneficiaries in large numbers are found waiting outside government and private vaccination centres for hours.
With the central government having opened the registration process for vaccination for those aged between 18 and 45 years, yesterday, an unprecedented rush has become quite apparent from today.
In ward 93 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the Borough-X Covid-19 vaccination center witnessed at least 170 people queuing up this morning while many of them had come to register at midnight yesterday so they could receive their vaccines today. But the situation quickly became intense as people were irked with officials when issuing of tokens for vaccines were stopped, declaring they will not be able to provide vaccine to more than 100.
This enraged people who had been waiting since 3am to get their first or the second shot. A person standing in the queue told The Statesman, the registration at the center started the previous night at 12am while he reached at 10 pm.
The queue began from dawn and about 9am the process of handing out tokens began but stopped in an hour when it reached 100. The rest, including the man concerned, were asked to come tomorrow again.
The agitated citizens complained that there is no proper system in place while stocks are inadequate.
A private hospital in Jodhpur Park said they won’t be able to vaccinate from 1 May due to stock issues; MR Bangur Hospital at Anwar Shah Road, too, said they have run out of stock.
Registration on the CoWin website, meanwhile, remains hogwash as many were able to register after much trouble yesterday, it showed there are “no vaccination centers available for booking” and continues to show the same message even today.