'Told about vaccine type but not allowed to choose': Senior citizens who took jab

On Monday, India further opened up its vaccination drive for those above 60 years of age and 45 years of age with comorbidities. TNM spoke to senior citizens who got vaccinated, who said that although there was no ‘choice’ as such about the vaccine they were going to receive, they were informed of the vaccine right before they were administered the shot.

This comes after the Tamil Nadu government guidelines earlier stirred controversy by stating that the type of vaccination — Covaxin or Covishield — will not be disclosed at the time of appointment.

Eighty three year-old Professor Kausalya from Chennai received her vaccine shot from Madras ENT Research Foundation located in Raja Annamalaipuram in Chennai.

“I had registered on the Co-WIN 2.0 portal in advance for my vaccine shot. On reaching the hospital on Monday morning, there was a glitch and I had to go back home. I was called back in the afternoon and given the shot. It all went smoothly the second time,” she told TNM. 

However some patients added that there was quite a bit of paperwork involved before getting the vaccine administered.

“We got the vaccine for Rs 250. On reaching the hospital, my mother had to first fill a form and sign it. After that a doctor asked a few questions such as whether she had contracted COVID-19 earlier, if she was allergic to any specific drugs etc. On being cleared, we were issued a card which confirmed that she was being administered the Covishield vaccine,” the 83-year-old’s son told TNM.

Bengaluru-based Prema Vishwanathan and her 90-year-old mother too received their first vaccine dose on Monday at the Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain hospital in Vasanth Nagar.

“There was a bit of prep work. And we had to fill in many One Time Passwords (OTPs) on our mobile phones. Thankfully my 90-year-old mother had brought her phone with her to the hospital. It would have been difficult otherwise,” Prema tells TNM. 

However, she added that the vaccine administering process took place without any glitches. 

“We were asked to wait for 30 minutes after the vaccination to observe for any adverse effects. After this, we were given juice and a pack of water and sent back. We were also given a phone number which we could ring up in case of any effects of the vaccine which we observed on us later,” Prema’s mother Sankari told TNM. 

Outside of Chennai, some walk-in centres offered a choice of vaccine for those who had registered and arrived for their vaccination appointment.

64-year-old S Natarajan, Head of Public Relations at Pricol Corporate Services said, “I took the vaccine today along with my wife. I did not register earlier and I just went for a walk-in vaccine slot at Coimbatore Government Hospital. When I went initially, they asked me for Aadhaar and two photo ID cards. Once I showed them our ID proofs, they gave us the shot.”

“The hospital provided us with a choice between Covaxin and Covishield. So I took Covishield. Fundamentally, I am hearing good things about taking the vaccine, so I decided to take the vaccine on the first day itself. I am doing fine till now.”

All citizens that are aged, or will attain the age of 60 or more as of January 1, 2022, are eligible to register, in addition to all such citizens that are aged, or will attain the age of 45 to 59 years as of January 1, 2022, and have any of the specified 20 comorbidities. Citizens will be able to register and book an appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere, using the Co-WIN 2.0 portal or through other IT applications such as Arogya Setu.

Over one million citizens have registered themselves on the Co-WIN portal till 1 pm on Monday, the Union Health Ministry said.

Read: 

How to register on Co-WIN portal for vaccination: A step-by-step guide

‘Very happy, relieved’: Senior citizens receive COVID-19 vaccine across south India