At Apollo Hospital on Monday. Phase 2 of the Covid-19 vaccination drive kicked off in Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad on Monday, with vaccines being administered to people above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 59 who have co-morbidities such as heart disease and cancer.
According to Gurgaon health department officials, of the 33 centres, while 10 were private hospitals, the remaining were government hospitals or health centres. “We have set a target of 40 vaccines per centre for those included in phase 2 of the vaccination. Another 60 vaccines will also be administered at each of the centres, but these will be the second doses of the vaccine that have to be given to healthcare workers,” said Dr Virender Yadav, Chief Medical Officer of Gurgaon.
Vaccinations started at noon, with officials stating that the turnout was even more than what they had anticipated. Since Monday was the first day of the Covid portal being operational, only on-the-spot registration was allowed. Officials said in the coming days, advance registration will also be possible, with people being able to choose the date and time of their vaccination on the portal.
“For the coming days, a target will be difficult to ascertain since the portal has been opened for registration and people will be able to sign up for vaccination themselves… The vaccination process has been smooth today,” said the CMO.
In Noida and Ghaziabad, some residents complained of problems in the registration portal even as officials said the issue will be resolved in the coming days. “Since it was the first day, the public was not well-oriented to the format of online registration. Several people came to know of the process a little late as well. But overall, the response was good,” said Dr Neeraj Tyagi, District Immunisation Officer, Gautam Buddh Nagar.
According to officials, in Noida, vaccines were made available at the District Hospital at Sector 30, GIMS in Greater Noida and SJM Hospital in Sector 63. In Ghaziabad, vaccination was underway at Yashoda Hospital, District Women and the District Combined Hospital.