Shortage of vaccine doses irks senior citizens in Thane

Senior citizens awaiting their second dose are now having their appointments cancelled as the vaccination drive for those above 45 years of age have been called off in Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai since Saturday

Senior citizens awaiting their second dose are now having their appointments cancelled as the vaccination drive for those above 45 years of age have been called off in Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai since Saturday. All three civic bodies are waiting for vaccine doses; especially the Covaxin. For the last two weeks, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has not been getting doses of Covaxin, whereas Thane and Navi Mumbai last received Covaxin on April 25.

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For 56 years old, Rama Iyer from Vrindavan Society in Thane, this is the last week for her to get vaccinated with the second dose of Coviaxin. “We have tried visiting vaccination centres last week, but to no avail. My daughter spoke to our regular physician who assured us that we could wait for another week, despite the schedule to get vaccinated. However, the government should ensure that there is enough stock for those who have taken the first dose.”

There are many senior citizens like Iyer, who are awaiting the arrival of Covaxin for their second dose. “I have been calling hospitals in Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira Road for the last two weeks. I am not a tech-savvy person and my children live in another city. Hence, I rely on my neighbours to help me find vaccination centres. Two weeks ago there were two centres in KDMC that had Covaxin but I was not aware of it. By the time I got to know, they were short of vaccines. There is a continuous appeal from authorities to get vaccinated but there is no help or support on how to go about the vaccination process,” said Hemant Shah, 64, resident of Dombivli.

Prashant Patil, secretary, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kalyan chapter, informed, “People need not panic as they can wait for two weeks from the time frame for the vaccine. For both vaccines, there is enough time suggested and the authorities are also working to get additional doses as soon as possible.”

Moreover, a few senior citizens are on high medication, hence the doctors have suggested Covaxin. Prachi Choudhary, a resident of Navi Mumbai who helps senior citizens with the vaccination process, said, “I have a list of 140 senior citizens waiting to get vaccinated; among these, we have prepared a separate list of those who need the second dose as they are a priority. However, the shortage of supply is proving to be a hindrance. Covishield was available in most places until last week and many went ahead with walk-in vaccinations for the same.”

Various citizen organisations are working towards helping senior citizens get their doses as per schedule, especially for second doses. “Once the hospital gets the vaccine stock, we are plan to start the immunisation drive. Housing societies could join us in this mission and help their members get vaccinated,” said Kasber Augustine, resident of Thane.

Over 23,000 people in Thane city have taken Covaxin, of which 17,000 are yet to get the second dose.

“We received Covaxin on April 25 and we had six centres open the next day. Post that we have not received any doses of the vaccine. Sunday onwards we have only been focusing on those between 18 and 44 years of age,” said a senior officer from Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). Similarly, KDMC has not received Covaxin doses for the last two weeks and no doses are available for those above 45 years of age in the last four days.

Abhijit Bangar, commissioner, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), said, “We are expecting more vaccines on Wednesday. As of now, the vaccination process has been stalled for 45 years and above age. We received Covaxin last on April 25 and Covishield on Thursday.”

Meanwhile, Thane district officials are also unable to meet the demand for vaccines. A senior officer said, “There is a shortage all over the state. We are not getting the desired number of vaccines. The ones that we get have to be equally distributed in all civic bodies, municipal councils as well as rural areas. This is a difficult task, especially, considering the population in urban areas.”