Chaotic start to vaccination of 18-44 category in Noida
What's the story
Over 2,600 people between 18-44 years got vaccinated for COVID-19 in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Monday, as the inoculation for the age category officially began in the western Uttar Pradesh district, officials said.
The day began on a chaotic note for several people with many of them facing difficulty in getting their jabs due to confusion over pre-registration.
Crowd
Many people left without vaccination after seeing huge crowds
The confusion also led to crowding in some of the 21 government inoculation centers spread across Noida and Greater Noida.
Some residents claimed they returned home after seeing "huge crowds" at the vaccination centers, with some videos which surfaced on social media corroborating their claims.
According to the health department's figures, 2,603 people aged between 18-44 years got their first jab on Monday.
Statistics
Total 4,621 people got vaccinated in Gautam Buddh Nagar
Total 4,621 people got vaccinated in Gautam Buddh Nagar during the day. Of these, 256 above 60 years got their first dose and 594 their second dose.
In the 45-59 years age group, 577 people got their first dose and 550 their second dose, while the rest of the jabs were given to health care workers and others, the data showed.
Vaccine slots
CMO urged people not to visit centers without prior booking
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deepak Ohri urged residents to book their vaccine slots through the CoWin portal or the Aarogya Setu app and not go to centers that are not allotted to them.
His appeal came after chaotic scenes were witnessed at vaccination centers in the morning leading to police deployment to regulate the crowd, while confusion continued later in the day too.
Statement
Vaccinations will be done only at allotted centers
"Gautam Buddh Nagar's residents can book a slot on the CoWin portal/Aarogya Setu app, and reach the designated hospital for vaccination," Dr. Ohri said in a statement.
"Vaccination would not be done for anyone at any other hospital other than that allotted. Please do not go to any hospital/health center unless not registered and slot is booked to avoid inconvenience," the senior doctor urged.
Issue
Many complained they have no access to computer for registration
A woman from Sarfabad village said she and her husband returned without vaccination as they thought that the process was a walk-in drive like it was for elderly people.
"I was clueless about the registration process. After reaching the center, I got to know that a smartphone/computer is needed for registration. My family doesn't have either," the woman, working as domestic help, claimed.
Other details
Private hospitals charging Rs. 900 per dose
Hesitant to share her name, the 30-something woman said she would request the family for whom she works to get her vaccine registration done.
The vaccination drive is free at government centers while private hospitals are charging Rs. 900 per dose, even as none of the centers in the district showed availability of slots on the official portals for the next few coming days.