No slots near home, 100km drive for vaccine

Gurgaon: Unable to get a slot in Gurgaon, DLF Phase-1 resident Sonam Gupta travelled 100 km to get her first vaccine shot at Ranila village in Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana. Ever since vaccinations opened for the 18+ category on May 1, she had been trying to register herself. It was the nearest option that she could find.
“I kept trying to book a slot, and one day around 1.30 am, I found one spot at Ranila. I immediately booked it. The place was 100 km away. So, I had to travel 200km to get the jab and return,” said Sonam (35). Sonam and her husband Sunny Singhal drove to Ranila this Thursday. “I am relieved that I got at least one dose. Today (Friday), I heard about deaths in my family and friend circles. Some of those who passed away were young and otherwise healthy. It is very disturbing and makes you think that it can happen to you as well,” she said.
Her slot was at 9am and they reached around 9.15 am. She said the vaccination centre was well-managed and not crowded. “There were 10 other people at the centre. Initially, I was apprehensive about the primary health centre. But it was a good experience since the place was clean, there were three nurses who were trained to administer the vaccine, and they had a vaccination room and an observation room. They had a separate room for women,” said Sonam.
After the vaccination, they drove to Faridabad for her husband’s shot – Sunny had found a slot there – before returning home. She had mild fever on Friday.
Like the couple, others too have been travelling long distances for their vaccine shots because of the limited number of vaccines in circulation and slots getting filled in the blink of an eyelid. Some have tweeted, saying they travelled to Delhi because no slots were available in Gurgaon. Others said they had to go to centres in Faridabad and Nuh.
Gurgaon resident Sunil Amar said he will be going to Delhi on Saturday to get his second dose. He wanted to get the jab at a private facility but most centres did not have a slot or the vaccine he had taken, he said. For the second dose in the 45+ category, a fresh registration is not required.
“I tried getting a slot in Gurgaon for about 10 days but had no luck. I will be going to Malviya Nagar on Saturday. I got the first jab (Covishield) at Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon. After that, I kept asking them about the second dose. I tried other private hospitals too but did not get a slot. I would have preferred to stay in Gurgaon and get vaccinated, but now, I will be getting the shot at a government centre in Delhi,” Amar said.