Subir Saluja, a resident of north-east Delhi, was getting constant messages from the government for his second dose of Covaxin as his stipulated time of six weeks was getting over.
“I tried everywhere in and around the city to book a slot but failed,” he told CNN-News18. “Later, when I got to know about the availability of Covaxin in Meerut, I Immediately tried and, thankfully, got the slot and got vaccinated as vaccination is the only weapon that we have. Now, many of my friends also from Delhi have started booking in Meerut, Shamli and some other places in Uttar Pradesh.”
With Covaxin stocks in short supply in Delhi, many residents like Saluja who are due for a second dose are struggling to book slots within the stipulated four to six weeks. And, so, the fear of the deadly coronavirus and the absence of shots is driving them to look outwards.
While the advised gap between two doses of Covishield was recently revised to 12-16 weeks, the recommended interval between Covaxin doses remains 4-6 weeks. 25-year-old Aditya Jain from Vivek Vihar in east Delhi also travelled to Meerut to get the second shot of Covaxin due to its unavailability in the capital. “I was also trying to book slots in Delhi since May 28 as my sixth week completed around the end of the month, but I did not succeed,” he said. “In the meantime, my relatives who live in Meerut suggested that I try to book a slot there, which I did and got my vaccination done with the second dose of Covaxin and feel safer given the situation outside as experts are talking about a 3rd wave of the virus.”
Facing a vaccine crunch amid the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, India has been trying to buy doses from foreign manufacturers. The Centre has vowed to inoculate all citizens in the country by December.
Another Delhi resident, Ayushi, was also on the hunt for the Bharat Biotech vaccine. “I wanted to book a slot for the second dose of Covaxin as soon as I completed four weeks, and I spent 8-10 days in search of Covaxin in Delhi, Noida and Gurugram. But there was a shortage. Then my friends told me to try my luck in Meerut, which I did and finally got myself vaccinated as I wanted full protection before I go out for work. And I was more than happy to travel 80km to Meerut as long as I got the jab.”
In Meerut, however, CNN-News18 found that very few locals were turning up at vaccination centres. “Lack of knowledge about the online procedure of booking and unavailability of smartphones are the major hindrances for us,” said some residents of neighbouring villages. “We are ready to take the vaccine.”
“The other day when I went to a nearby inoculation centre, they asked me to apply online and then come with the registration number, which I don’t know till date how to get and thus I have not been able to get vaccinated yet,” said one of them.
The Delhi High Court has sought a response from the central and Delhi governments on two pleas to provide the second dose of Covaxin within the prescribed time frame to those who have got the first jab.
“You opened so many vaccination centres everywhere with so much pomp and splendour and now you say you don’t know when the second dose stock would be available,” the court said to the Delhi government this week.
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