JABBED!!!

Let me start of with a disclaimer of sorts - what I narrate below is my experience with the two doses of vaccination. Depending on multiple unrelated factors, your experience could be better or worse. 

The best news of 2021 has been (and continues to be, as of today), the availability of vaccine for COVID-19. The first lot of people who were given these were obviously and very rightly the health-care workers, followed by front-line workers. This started way back in January. I was very happy that slowly but surely, there seems to be a plan to vaccinate the entire country. I could definitely sense a fool-proof plan for vaccinations. 

Fast forward to February - the Government decided to open the vaccination for senior citizens. I believe this had something to do with the way experts believed that the virus effects the senior citizens worst. Because, otherwise, it would have made sense to open vaccination for any one on the move (mostly middle-aged adults) - these are the folks that carry the virus everywhere. 

Sometime late March, the Government opened up the vaccination appointments for anyone over 45. I immediately got on to the COWIN website and booked the slot near my home (well, about 3.5 Km away), on the first day, April 01. The process was pretty straightforward and simple and I could register for my dose in a minute. This was a small unknown private clinic in the suburb of Bangalore. The slot was 9 AM to 11 AM. I walked to this clinic and arrived there by 8.35 AM. A sleepy receptionist at the clinic looked surprised to see me and told that he plans to start the process only by 9.30, as a duty doctor needed to be present and he would only arrive by that time. I requested if I could just sit there - a small hall where about 10 people could comfortably sit.  Another couple arrived by 8.50. At 9.30, the receptionist told that he will have to wait for 10 people before opening the vial as the vial would cater to 10 people and if they do not turn up, the vaccine goes waste in 4 hours. I started to count as people slowly trickled in and by 9.30, 10 people gathered. The doctor arrived around 9.45, and the process started at 10.15. There were about 5-6 registers where details were entered - one for Aadhar card, one for mobile number, one for a combination of these and a couple to enter lot numbers of the vials and the recipients' signatures. Finally, the "jab" happened around 10.30. I walked back to home, after sitting there for about 30 minutes. I felt perfectly fine and showed my enthusiasm by walking all over the day. The effect was evident the next morning - I had trouble walking, every muscle of the body was making its presence felt. This sorted itself out by the next day and I felt good. 

Now, the wait started for the second dose. My COWIN portal showed me the date as 29th April. Meanwhile, "data" suggested that the second dose be taken only between 6-8 weeks. My COWIN portal still showed a "due 29 April" in RED indicating I am past my due. I wanted to book for a date after 6 weeks and there were no slots open yet - this was around 29-30 April. 

Situation became interesting when the Government declared that starting 1st May, anyone over 18 could get vaccinated. Suddenly, COWIN OTP SMSs started to miss out; slots dried out and the website itself started to act funny - sometimes it wanted me to book for 1st dose; sometimes it just showed a blank page. It was like booking a Tatkal train ticket a few years back - you would know it if you booked it. 

Every morning and evening I used to sit on the COWIN site, and after multiple OTP attempts was shown that there were no slots for me in foreseeable future. People began to advise strategies - try midnight/ try on two browsers at the same time/ try on iphone/ try on PayTM mobile app, etc. Nothing was working. 

Finally, on 11th evening, I could find open slots for the next morning at Jayanagar General Hospital. Since this is not far from home, I immediately booked an appointment - 09.00 to 11 AM. I was a bit tensed as a few earlier times, I could book a slot, but promptly got SMSs about cancellation. Thankful that I did not receive a cancellation note, I drove on an empty Bangalore road to the hospital and reached there at 8.30 AM. Car parking was a breeze and there were about 5-6 people walking on the huge lawns. As I walked towards the reception, I found a BBMP COVID care worker, helping people out. I asked for the vaccination. "Vaccine no stock" was the prompt response. I was taken aback and asked him to explain - he showed me a notice, printed on A4 paper, "COVAXIN - no stock". I told him I belonged to COVISHIELD clan. He corrected himself and wanted me to wait. Then I noticed a long queue that stretched to the other end of the hospital campus. "Not to worry, Sir, that is for people without online appointment. You wait here, the vaccine will start at 9.30". Happy I was an elite client there, I waited out while crowd started to build, a little too close to comfort. Since there was plenty of time, and since I need not stand in a queue, I went back to my car and waited out there. I promptly came back to the reception at 9.30, where he pointed me to a dark corridor, closed on all other sides. I could see a board that said "Vaccination Centre". There were already some 50 people there in a queue. I announced that I have an online appointment - every one in the queue had one. The drama unfolded from that time - one new gentleman/ lady appeared once in 10-15 minutes and declared a new set of conditions for those in line - if you have online, make another queue/ no online booking, but second dose, 45+ age, separate queue/ health-care workers, another queue. These were all very dynamic and fluidic queues, people floated between these and ensured entropy. People would crowd around any one who looked like someone and declare - vaccine out of stock, only to realise that covaxin is out of stock, but the other clan can stay. In between these realities, a huge gathering rushed to the declaring authority to find out for themselves. 

At around 10.30, one such lady walked past the line I was standing in and asked if I had a token. I told her that I had an online slot confirmed. She pushed a token into my hand and asked me to wait. The number was 19. Armed with two possibilities of getting a vaccine, I walked out of this mess and waited in the reception area - there was a considerable crowd there as well, waiting for a turn to inject themselves into the stream in the vaccination corridor. Mind you, absolutely no social distancing - in fact, people were jumping over each other. 

Nothing productive happened till about 12 PM. Not a single person came out vaccinated. New authorities kept coming out from the vaccination room declaring new rules, people continued to storm to that person for clarity.  Finally, some gentleman walked to the end of corridor and called out numbers 1-10 online bookings. Light could be seen at the end of the tunnel. Some people walked out of the corridor queue, some went in. It is clear that more than 10 people were in - actually about 75-100. With social distancing, about 10 people could stand in that place. Such was the rush. I could see many people just walked in along with acquaintances in the hospital and come out vaccinated. I had no doubt some kind of corruption was going on. 

Finally at 1.15 PM, my number was called out and I went into the queue in the corridor - these were the most tense 15 minutes with people breathing over each other and no ventilation around. I could go into the vaccination room about 1.30 PM and provided with my details and secret code I got while registering. The nurse who took my details asked "COVISHIELD or Covaxin?". I told her COVISHIELD and she directed me to another room and said that I should wait in the room I was in, if I needed Covxin. This was a shock for me, since morning, I was hearing that there is no stock of covaxin - I saw many people including senior citizens turned away as there are no stocks - and here there is a queue for this. 

I walked to my other room; a nurse was waiting and gave the "jab" and took a signature in a register. I also noticed the iceboxes for the vaccine are nicely on the table and 4 vials of COVISHIELD on the table, at room temperature! 

With this drama completed at 1.40, I walked back to the car, sprayed myself completely with the sanitizer and drove back home. I asked everyone at home to move into the farthest room while I walked to the bathroom and asked the area to be sprayed. 

With all the five and hours of drama and chaos, I cannot but think - the chance of getting infected with virus seemed more than the possibility of injected with vaccine. I also had a feeling if this was all deliberate to chase you away so that the vaccine could be sold/ black-marketed. I had no doubt people who were not in line, who did not take appointment, got in without any issue and got the vaccine. People who planned, deserved more, had to either risk the infection or walk away with a hope to get it again. 

No wonder infections are on the rise. As I speak, I feel OK, but will have to wait out for a few weeks with a hope that I did not get infected. On hindsight, I am utterly stupid that I waited it out there - I should have walked out and came home, let somebody take the jab in my place. In my defence, I could not figure out how long this would take, I was always thinking "now that this gentleman came out with a declaration, vaccination will be done in next 5-10 minutes". I spent 5 and half hours there!

Stay safe.