Decked up for first day, first shot: All eyes on Covid-19 vaccination drive

Dr Alka Choudhary was waiting anxiously for an SMS on the eve of India’s vaccination roll-out when Business Standard met her on Friday. She wanted to know whether she would be among the first to get vaccinated as the process begins on Saturday  

“We await a message from the government telling us that we are eligible to receive the shot. After receiving the message, we will head to the vaccination centre along with necessary documents,” said Choudhary, district surveillance officer under the National Health Mission, and a doctor at the Peera Garhi Mohalla Clinic.

The hectic preparations in the capital city resembled action at any wedding venue, according to a health worker in the midst of it all. From rangoli on hospital floor to garlands, vaccination locations were busy dressing up for Saturday when the first shots would be administered in the country.

But more than anything else, security has been key.  Seven Army jawans and five police officers were seen guarding a secluded building at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital in Dilshad Garden, New Delhi. This week, the building stored multiple doses of Covid-19 vaccines, of which many have already been sent to various centres around the city.

At one such centre — Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital — strings of marigold adorned the walls outside the room meant to serve as a registration spot for those receiving the shot. The room in the Old Emergency Block, a floor below the vaccination area, was sealed and suitably guarded.

Posters were all over to guide people receiving the jab. Some mentioned the documents required for registration, others affirmed the safety of the vaccine--When we are safe, the nation is safe. .

At GB Pant Hospital, cameras were already in position on the seventh floor of the D block building, where the vaccine would be administered. TV sets were in readiness too to catch Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at 10.30 am on Saturday.

Private hospitals were also gearing up. East Delhi’s Dharamshila Super Specialty Hospital will be receiving vaccines from a cold-chain storage facility nearby in Vasundhara early morning. Nitin Sharma, deputy medical superintendent, said the hospital would have a nine-day first run.

Covishield vs Covaxin

G B Pant Hospital, according to Liladhar Ramchandani, secretary general, Delhi Nurses Federation, would administer Serum Institute’s Covishield on the first day of the run. The consignment is set to come in the morning. Dharamshila Hospital is also getting Covishield for the first run.

“Most of Delhi’s state-run hospitals have Covishield vaccines, while central government hospitals also have Covaxin,” pointed out Dr Suneela Garg, director-professor and head, community medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College. She has also been appointed to the Delhi’s Covid-19 task force.

Vaccine worries

The biggest worry in the vaccination drive seemed to be the lack of trust. Dr Choudhary said, “People are worried about the safety of vaccines. However, as a doctor, I believe they are safe and such rumours need to be dispelled. There is a need for more awareness.”

Some said they would take the shot to convince others that it’s harmless. Ramchandani said: “If I don’t take the vaccine, how will I tell my colleagues and juniors to take it? One needs to set an example.”

Earlier, the administration at his hospital was to decide who gets vaccinated first. Now, however, the government has left it to the people to register themselves in a bid to boost confidence.

The future requirement of vaccines will depend on the demand seen on the first day, according to Dr Garg. “We are starting with administration of 100 doses per vaccination site, but, we will probably increase the number according to demand,” she said.

Chhavi Gupta, spokesperson of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, pointed out there was hardly any visibility on the second round of vaccination. “We may see all 100 shots being administered on Day 1, but I’m not sure if demand will increase,” Gupta said ahead of the vaccination roll-out. Some 30 million health care workers would get the jabs in the first phase of the Covid vaccination drive.

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