Vaccination centres in Kochi reported overcrowding on Friday with a slow online portal further delaying the process.
Health officials at the Ernakulam General Hospital reported a situation where the number of people who arrived for vaccination was larger than what the hospital could handle. The hospital can only administer 200 doses on a day, with 10% of the doses reserved for people who register on the spot. But with the COWIN portal being slow on Friday, even 200 doses had become difficult to administer by evening, a doctor said.
A doctor at the taluk hospital at Karuvelipady said that the situation at the hospital was chaotic on Friday morning when a large crowd gathered for vaccination. “The hospital had only been provided with 100 doses for the day. But we already had a list of around 70 school staff to vaccinate. Several people among the general public who arrived for vaccination, even with prior registrations, had to be turned away, and their sessions had to be rescheduled,” the doctor said. The task of vaccinating officials on poll duty, health workers who were arriving for their second dose, and senior citizens turned unmanageable. The police had to be called in to control the crowd, and the hospital has suggested that police officers be posted at the vaccination site henceforth.
Dr. M. G. Sivadas, district nodal officer for vaccination, said that the health authorities were attempting to discourage on-the-spot registrations in order to deal with crowds at vaccination centres. “For senior citizens, who arrive without prior registration, we are trying to allot tokens and time slots when they can come back for the vaccine,” he said. Around 30 private hospitals have begun administering the vaccine, while 50 sessions were held at government centres on Friday.
On Saturday, a session will be held at the YMCA Hall on Chittoor Road for senior citizens and polling officers. But this session will only be for people who have registered online.
