Health workers blame ‘confusing messages’ on missing Covid vaccine shot in UP

Health officials said medical conditions such as allergy or fever could be ignored but the SMSes were very clear.

Allergy, being out of town and fever were some of the reasons cited by healthcare workers for giving the second round of the Covid vaccination on January 22 a miss. Some of them claimed they had received confusing text messages about the vaccination and hence could not make it.

Being engaged in routine duty, too, became a reason for some of the absentees. (HT Photo )

Anjani Bajpayee, a staff nurse, said, “After Covid duty, I was in quarantine and had a fever. I got the message a day before the vaccination, but I avoided the shot due to fever. Since the message came just a day before, I could not do much about it.”

Jitendra, a ward-boy at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (SPM) Civil Hospital here, said, “I called, and the seniors told me persons with fever should not take the Covaxin shot.”

Some said they had to rush out of Lucknow due to death in the family. A few others said they had switched to a different number and so could not get the messages about the vaccination.

Being engaged in routine duty, too, became a reason for some of the absentees.

A senior doctor, who was one of the recipients of Covaxin vaccine, said, “The OPD (outpatient department) had a lot of patients waiting. Many of the OPD (staff) was listed for vaccination, so I managed the OPD workload.”

Asked if he could have gone after OPD, which closes at 2 pm, the doctor, who did not wish to be named, said, “I would get the shot whenever called next.”

Anjani, the staff nurse at Lok Bandhu Hospital, said, “I have told my hospital director that my name be included in the list in the next round.”

As for the confusing messages, a staffer at Civil Hospital, who was to be vaccinated on January 22, said, “I got the message for the vaccination a day before and, shortly after, a message came for cancellation of the vaccination. A third came confirming (the vaccination) again and it confused me.”

Health officials said medical conditions such as allergy or fever could be ignored but the SMSes were very clear.

“Medical conditions such as fever or allergy have to be considered before the vaccination,” said Dr MK Singh, the officer in charge of vaccination in Lucknow.

“Three hospitals had to use Covaxin, but the message went for Covishield. Hence, the cancellation was sent and (there was) a third message confirming their vaccination. There was no confusion,” said Dr Singh.

He said an analysis of the reasons was being done and the final picture would be clear in the next two days.

As vaccination is voluntary, officials are now working on motivational methods. Those who have been vaccinated are being asked to motivate others and video messages of vaccination ambassadors are being circulated.