A total of 1,470 students enrolled in foreign universities as well as people travelling abroad for work were vaccinated in a special drive held by the government between June 1 and 11 at Bengaluru Central University (BCU). Though the drive concluded on Friday, many are demanding that it be extended as they are still in the process of getting visas.
The drive received a good response, said BCU officials, with an average of 133 people receiving the shot every day. Only June 8 saw the least number of people, 50, queuing up for their dose.
Lingaraja Gandhi, Vice-Chancellor of BCU, said they had put up a notice at the university where the drive was taking place and had stated that the drive would end on Friday.
However, many people — as many as 30 — were unaware of this, and reported to the varsity campus on Saturday. A working professional and her husband who want to travel abroad expressed disappointment that the drive had ended. “We were waiting for our visa to get approved so that we could get our vaccine. My husband and I are travelling abroad in the last week of June and we got our visa only today and were banking on this drive to get our second dose,” she said on Saturday.
Officials in the Higher Education Department said the drive would resume later this month for those due for the second shot. This has caused some amount of confusion among people who only recently received their first dose. A student who is all set to fly to Germany said, “I took my vaccine at a private hospital last month. As per the rules, I can get my second dose only after 12 weeks, but if this camp is resumed, does this mean I have to get my second dose in five weeks. ”
