Big turnout at first drive-in vax site in Gurugram but only 225 get jabs

GURUGRAM: Cars queued up at DLF City Centre Mall on MG Road from 6.30am on Friday as the assurance of getting a vaccine from the safety of their vehicles brought residents in large numbers to the city’s first drive-through Covid-19 inoculation session.
By the end of the day, 225 people had received their shots at the exclusive second-dose session for Covishield recipients but hundreds more who had waited patiently had to turn back their cars and leave because the session site had no more shots to give. Nevertheless, the city’s response to the first drive-through session counted.
The health department announced another drive-through session at Ambience Mall on Saturday for second-dose Covaxin recipients. More drive-through sessions are being planned in the days to come, which many have been asking for, holding up drive-ins that Mumbai has been conducting as a template. Friday’s session was only for the 45-plus, as will Saturday’s.
The health department was aiming to vaccinate only 200 recipients in Friday’s session, which started at 10am. By 2pm, however, they had to close as they had already vaccinated 225 and vaccines are not available in abundance in the city. The queue of cars, which had begun snaking out of the mall entrance well before the session began, reached Bristol Hotel a kilometre away at one point.
Those whose wait proved fruitful were all praise for the initiative, which had addressed their biggest concern — social distancing and safety. “I was in the queue since 6.30am because I anticipated many would turn up for the jabs. I showed the officials my first dose certificate and was directed towards the parking area. After driving in, I was inoculated and told to wait in my car for 30 minutes,” said Dinesh Bajpai.
Others expressed unhappiness over so few vaccine doses being available. “I was told that I can’t get the jab since the 200 slots were already taken,” said Tej Pal, a resident of Sector 54.
Some were, meanwhile, asked to return as the interval between the first and second doses was less than the stipulated one. Earlier, it was 6-8 weeks for Covishield. This Thursday, it was widened to 12-16 weeks.
The big turnout for the first drive-through convinced the health department to plan such sessions across the city in the coming days. “We will set up a similar drive-through session on Saturday for the second dose of Covaxin for people in the 45-plus category. As many as 300 slots will be available on a first-come-first-served basis at Ambience Mall,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, Gurugram.
The department is also planning to organise a drive-through session in Cyber Hub on Sunday, where 200 slots will be available.
The CMO said the department has identified 30 schools and 10 parking lots in the city where similar drives can be planned.
The parking arrangements in Friday’s session were managed by smart parking solutions startup Park+. “With zoning within parking spaces, we are planning a completely seamless vaccination drive for Gurugram. People will be able to sit in their cars while they wait, invariably feeling safer,” Park+ founder Amit Lakhotia said.