Huge crowds at PHCs in Guntur for Covid vaccination

GUNTUR:  Tension prevailed at Mallikarjunapeta Urban Primary Health Centre in the city on Friday as hundreds of people thronged the vaccination centre for Covid jabs.As part of the three-day vaccination drive, officials planned to administer the second dose of vaccine to beneficiaries who received the first dose a few weeks ago. 

No Covid guidelines were followed by the beneficiaries who thronged the Urban Primary Health Centre in their eagerness to get a Covid jab. Unable to control the situation, the UPHC staff informed the matter to police, who rushed to the place and regulated the crowd.

Those who took Covaxin 1st dose in panic as 2nd  dose must in 4-6 weeks

Even though the officials clarified that only the second dose of vaccine will be given, some anxious people waited till the afternoon in a kilometre-long queue with the hope of getting Covid jab. Rambabu who was in the queue, said, “I have been waiting from 7 am. I got the first dose five weeks ago. So I am coming to UPHC for the last two days for the second dose, but stating that the all doses are over, the staff are refusing to give me the jab. But I don’t have any idea when they are giving tokens.”

A similar situation prevailed at the vaccination centre in Narasaraopet. Huge crowd gathered at the UPHC and they started arguing with the staff seeking administration of Covid vaccine. Having learnt about the situation, Sub-Collector Srivas Nupur reached the UPHC and tried to pacify the crowd. When the situation went out of control, the police came and regulated the  surging  crowd with much difficulty.

On the other hand, people who took Covaxin first dose are literally in a panic mode as the second dose has to be taken four to six weeks after the first and Covaxin has become scarce at present. Aparna, a school teacher, said that all the staff in her school aged above 45 years took the first dose of Covaxin at a private hospital at a cost of `250 in the last week of March. “As the deadline for the second dose is nearing, we contacted the hospital management and they said that it would take a week or two to get the vaccine stock. However, we are unsure about what to do right now,” she added.

District Immunisation Officer Dr Chandrasekhar said that they clearly instructed the UPHC staff to inform the people that only the second dose of vaccine will be administered during the drive. “But people thronged the vaccination centres even after the drive is completed for the day and the staff are not being able to handle the large crowds. The virus can spread faster in such heavy crowded places. We are appealing to the people that the vaccine will be administered to everyone above 45 years of age within the stipulated time. So people should be patient till then,” he said.

 Meanwhile, Principal Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar Singhal said the entire first two weeks of May, vaccination is being given to those who need to be given the second jab. A total of 35 lakh people have to be given the second dose of vaccine and of the total, 89,000 have to be administered the vaccine by May 23.  A total of 12,93,000 people have to be given the second jab by May 15 and of them 4,63,000 were administered vaccine and another 8,23,000 have to be given jabs. “What we are receiving from the Centre and what we are procuring will be sufficient to administer vaccine to this group. Hence, it is not possible to give the first dose before May 15,” he explained.