Set out early for a hassle-free Covid-19 vaccine

Siddharth.Prabhakar@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  25.04.2021

People going out for their a jab of Covid-19 vaccine at their nearest health centre or hospital in Chennai may have to return home without one. Alternatively, they might have to visit at least a couple of centres.

This is because many Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are unable to cater to the growing demand for vaccines in the city. This is even more so for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which, according to senior Greater Chennai Corporation officials, was in shortage.

“Currently, we are prioritising Covaxin for those who come in to get their second shots. Covishield (Oxford-Astrazeneca) is available,” an official said.

This comes at a time when the demand for Covaxin has increased, the official said, after media reports on its efficacy against the mutated strain of the virus as well.

Mathew Thomas, a resident of Injambakkam who visited the PHC in his area on April 22, was told that Covaxin was out of stock. Staff took his contact number and said they would inform him when stocks were refilled.

“We are upset. We sincerely went to take the vaccine and were sent back. This shows a lack of planning,” he said. His parents Thomas Mathew and Sarasu Thomas could not get their dose at a private centre in Villivakkam and ended up taking it in a the PHC at Purasaiwalkam after running around.

Faced with many similar experiences, citizens like Narayanan Hariharan, 36, have started sourcing information to put out tweets on availability of vaccines at different health centres to help people. “Vaccines are available in certain places like PHCs and private hospitals, but they are sent back by staff who ask them to take the second shot at the place where they got their first,” he said.

Some people also said that it depends on the time of the day you visit the centres; in many centres the vaccines are exhausted by12pm.

G Satish, a resident of Shollinganallur, said the shortage in corporation centres was due to non-availability in private institutions. “People are panicking as the cases have increased rapidly. The people who took their1st dose at private hospital had taken the 2nd dose in corporation centres as private hospitals didn’t have stocks,” he said.

Rama Rao, a resident of Chromepet, said private labs did not have supply of Covaxin for 4 days and from Monday, they wouldadminister the fresh stock only for those who have already taken one jab. “But for Covishield, 50 tokens are issued everyday,” he said. Local PHCs don’t have stock of Covaxin.

Another senior corporation official said vaccine doses would be replenished regularly and people could return to the centre a couple of days later to get their shots.

The prevailing situation is because many Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are unable to cater to the growing demand for vaccines in the city