PUNE: The CoWIN glitches, scorching heat and mismanagement at the vaccination sites did not dampen the response from the senior citizens and those with comorbidities, as the vaccination figures soared over 8,000 in the district on Friday.
The urban and rural health department officials had roped in more private centres to cater to the crowd, which led to the encouraging response on Friday.
The 58 vaccination sites in the Pune city limits saw 4,983 senior citizens and 569 citizens above the age of 45 getting the jab, almost double the number of the day before. At Pimpri Chinchwad, there were 1,114 senior citizens across 13 sites. In Pune rural, 1,810 elderly and 606 with underlying conditions turned up on Friday across 41 sites (see graphic).
Pune circle assistant director (medical) Sanjay Deshmukh, told TOI that they were aiming to reach at least 25,000 vaccination responses per day across the district, as more private facilities would be roped in.
On the availability of doses as per the vaccination aim, Deshmukh said the district as on Friday had around 2.5 lakh doses in stock and expected to get more by next week. “The Covaxin site at District Hospital Aundh has over 9,000 doses,” he added.
Meanwhile, the rush at the prominent civic hospitals continued at the Pune Municipal Corporation areas. Kamla Nehru hospital, Sutar hospital, Rajiv Gandhi hospital witnessed a lot of crowd. Mostly the senior citizens had gathered at these centres. The response at the private hospitals and smaller civic hospitals was low.
“People are coming to the bigger civic hospitals. Some people have gone from areas like Kondhwa to Kothurd. A few of them went to areas in the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits as well. The selection of centres and pressing for the bigger hospitals are causing most of the problems,” said a senior official of PMC.
Ashish Bharati, head of the PMC’s health department, told TOI that they were making arrangements for better coordination.“More manpower is being deployed at the centres. They are helping in speeding up the vaccination. The floor management at the leading hospitals is being planned, in such a manner that people need not wait for long at the vaccination centres,” he said.
He said the PMC was in the process to adde more hospitals to its list of vaccination centres.
PCMC commissioner Rajesh Patil said awareness drives would be soon conducted to elevate the response from the slum pockets.
On the low response in rural vaccination sites, Deshmukh said they would soon start the vaccination across the primary health centres to elevate the response.
Snehprabha Joshi (85) from Kothrud who came with her sons at Sutar hospital, said after registering for the vaccine on March 1, they finally got the slot for Friday.
“It will be helpful for the elderly people like me if the building had an elevator. The staffers are caring and helpful. But an elevator and wheelchairs will be of big help for the people aged 70 and above,” Joshi said, adding that she would prefer to find another centre with an elevator for the second dose.
Joshi was not the only person to face the inconvenience. The family members of Vijaya Kukde, 95, from Kothrud had to carry her on a plastic chair to the first floor at Sutar hospital.