Covishield vaccine was available on Monday for people who wanted to take the first dose after a break, but only in a limited number of slots.
On July 22, due to a shortage of vaccines, the Delhi government had ordered that Covishield would be available only for people who need the second dose of the vaccine till July 31.
More slots
On August 1, the government issued a new order that 20% of Covishield slots will now be available for the first dose and 80% will be reserved for the second dose.
On Monday, some people complained that they cannot find a slot online for their first dose of Covishield. Walk-in facility is not available for the first dose in the city in most centres and only people who have registered online can get the first shot.
Around 3 p.m. at Navyug School in Pandara Road, which has been turned into a government vaccination centre, 34-year-old Prakash Chandra was seen pleading with an official to allow his wife to get the first dose of the vaccine without an online booking.
“We cannot do anything as it is all online. Her name has to be on the list to get the first dose of the vaccine,” the official told him as she walked away.
“I have taken the first shot, but my wife is yet to take the vaccine. I have been trying to book a slot for her for a month now, but there are no slots available,” said Mr. Chanda, who works at a private company.
Only 20% of the 200 slots at the centre are available online for the first dose and people are coming to the centre after booking online, officials at the centre said.
At a CGHS Ayurvedic Hospital in Aliganj, which has a vaccination centre administering Covaxin, Dharam Singh, 40, who irons clothes for a living, was waiting with his wife to get their first dose of the vaccine.
“We don’t know how to book it online. A woman, for whom we iron clothes, works here and she booked it for us. We are waiting for her,” Mr. Singh said.
Officials at the centre also confirmed that people have to register online before coming to the centre to get the first dose of the vaccine.
Sunday’s order also increased the number of slots for the first dose of Covaxin to 40% of the total slots, up from 20%. “Earlier only 45-50 people used to get slots for first dose of the vaccine. From Monday, it has been increased to 90. People are coming even for the first dose. But we are doing first dose only through appointment and second dose even without appointment,” an official at the centre said.
The vaccine stock of the city will last for five days and there are 4,76,610 doses of Covishield vaccine and 3,96,990 doses of Covaxin, as per a bulletin released by the Delhi government.
Till now, 1,00,58,538 doses of vaccines have been administered in the city .
