Vaccination 2.0 gets off to a slow start in Mumbai due to tech issues

Turnout is encouraging for this round, glitch resolved after one-hour delay, say facilities

Vaccination of senior citizens began on a slow start at the BKC jumbo Covid-19 centre in Mumbai due to technical issues. The response to the citizen round, however, is encouraging said the facility at Mulund, the eastern suburb of Mumbai.
 

While on-spot regsitrations began after 9am, actual vaccination could only begin after 11am because of a glitch. Officials are required to register details about allotment before administering doses and were unable to complete this process leading to delay.
 

"There was a one-hour delay in the morning but now the vaccination process is going on swiftly. By afternoon over 100 senior citizens and persons with co-morbidities registered for vaccines. We have capability to vaccinate upto 1,000 senior citizens a day in addition to medical personnel and other frontline workers," said Dr Rajesh Dere, dean of Covid centre at BKC.
 

Pradeep Angre, the Dean of the Mulund facility said that the server started working around 11:45am. People have been able to register themselves on the CoWIN app though.
 

The Daftary's at Mulund registered themselves at 9:10am and turned up at the facility. Eighty-six-year-old Pramod Daftary and his son Hitesh Daftary (57 years) turned up for the shots with their grandson. Hitesh had a paralytic attack and thus qualified for the jab.
 

Doctors from Sion Hospital and Nair Hospital were reviewing the people turning up for the vaccine shot.
 

The BKC centre has been administering doses to around 2,000 medical persons and other frontline workers daily. But their number is now declining, he said.
 

"I came on the first day anticipating less crowd but looks like there are many liked minded people," said 73-year old retired teacher.
 

However despite the delay, Suri was full of praise for the staff and facilities at the centre.
 

"We are happy with the arrangements. Staff was co-operative. We were offered water and tea as we waited in pandal for our turn," she added.
 

"I tried registering on Co-Win app from home but was unable to do it. So I decided to walk in at the centre. I got vaccinated with ten minutes," said 67-year old Swati Kulkarni.
 

The Mulund facility can administer vaccines to 500 people a day. It can be slightly more given the demand. Angre says the turnout is more encouraging with this round - " On most days we were administering doses to 30-40 healthcare or frontline workers. Today already over 50 senior citizens have been given the jab and more are waiting," he adds.
 

The facility which was a dedicated Covid19 healthcare center has been repuposed as a vaccination site. It thus has over 20 beds for recuperation and resusciation, beds are equipped with oxygen supplies and at least one ventilation unit is present at the site.

Fifty-two-year-old Ramesh Khatte, who works in the traffic department, was waiting for recovery after he was administered Covishield, the Astrazeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute. "I am not only feeling fine, there is no pain at the vaccination site," Khatte said