With vaccine centres in Hyderabad packed to the rafters, beneficiaries, especially those awaiting their second dose, are travelling as far as 100 km to nearby semi-urban towns to get the jab.
Rohini Rao, 45, drove nearly 80 kilometres back and forth from Hyderabad to Dundigal district to get her second jab of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
“I was getting anxious since there were no slots available in Hyderabad. So a doctor friend of mine gave me a lead. I travelled to a primary health centre in Dundigal on May 10 and got a shot,” said Rohini, who works for an IT firm in Hyderabad.
Owing to shortage of vaccines, the Telangana government has temporarily suspended vaccination drive for first-time beneficiaries aged 45 years and above, and all government facilities in the state have been directed to prioritise second dose beneficiaries.
Even private hospitals like Apollo Group are following suit, which has procured an undisclosed amount of vaccine doses directly from the manufacturers.
The state government has also clarified that the immunisation programme for people aged 18-44 years will begin in “due course of time”, probably in June, as indicated by health department sources.
Desperation for vaccines
Despite strict rules in place, many first-time beneficiaries have been able to get the jab through backdoor entries facilitated by personal contacts.
A major chunk of these patients are those who preferred Covaxin over Pune-based Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, since the former had less “side-effects and better efficacy”.
“I was struggling to get my 60-year-old mother vaccinated in Hyderabad. We were turned away by three private hospitals despite prior booking on Co-WIN,” said Ravi Teja, who only wanted to get a Covaxin jab for his parents.
“I travelled nearly 100 km up and down to Sangareddy district where I got my mother vaccinated at a primary health centre in Kandi mandal,” he said, adding that he is likely to travel to the same district for his mother’s second dose after six weeks.
There is no legal restriction or boundaries to book a vaccination slot. Any individual anywhere in the country can book a slot in any centre of his/her choice.
Rural residents at a disadvantage
While tech-savvy urban residents from Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana are happily returning home after a jab, the digital divide has put rural residents at a disadvantage. Those who don’t have access to smartphones or internet services are struggling to book slots on Co-WIN and Aarogya Setu.
ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) and Anganwadi workers, who have been conducting fever surveys in Telangana to keep a tab on Covid-19 affected families, have also been trying to register villagers through their own means, “but the reach is limited”.
“Spot vaccinations are no longer being allowed, so most villagers who are uneducated are not understanding what to do. Self-help groups use their own means to register them on Co-WIN but the reach is very limited,” said Vasanta Lakshmi, an ASHA worker, who is currently conducting door-to-door surveys in Rangareddy district.
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