People struggle to get Sputnik jab as CoWIN plays spoilsport

Coimbatore: Though Russian-made Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik is being offered at a few hospitals and healthcare centres in the city, booking a slot on the CoWIN portal to get the vaccine has become almost impossible.
Many people, especially those who have to go abroad for work or studies, prefer the vaccine as both shots can be taken within a month. It is also recognized by most countries.
City-based Kanchana Srinivasan has been logging onto the CoWIN portal for the last one week, trying to get a slot for Sputnik vaccination. “I tried to book a slot at GKNM Hospital and AGs Healthcare. I initially tried at random, then based on the hospitals’ recommendation, logged in from 5.55pm, only to get rejected,” she told TOI.
Vaishnavi Lekha, who tried to get her husband a slot, also faced the same issue. “We have been trying to get a slot for the past one week. Whenever we logged in, it said no slots were available. We then tried to contact the hospital directly.”
Hospitals, however, said getting a slot on CoWIN is compulsory. “It is the state government’s rule that Sputnik must be administered only based on slots on the website. While we agree that slots get over in minutes, we get 70-80 people a day who booked an appointment on the portal,” said a GKNM Hospital spokesperson.
Rasi Hospital at R S Puram offers to assist people who have a pre-registration on the CoWIN portal for the vaccine. “If people have a pre-registration and come in a group, we can help them get the slot, the jab and certificate,” said Jayaram from the hospital. “Many people prefer Sputnik because of reports of high efficiency and completion of both doses within a short period. They say Sputnik is the most effective among all vaccines.”