The UP government's walk-in and free vaccination drive to prevent a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a roaring success. On Saturday, a record number of 3,715 people took the jab at the District Combined Hospital at Sector 30, Noida.
"We had to lock the gates at around 3 PM as there were many waiting to get in. Since we have to close at 5 PM, we first had to accommodate the people who were waiting inside," said Dr Renu Agarwal, the Chief Medical Superintendent.
The free and walk-in drive began on June 21. It started with about 1,800 people on Day 1 and the numbers grew each day.
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"Approximately, we had increased by an average of about 300 people every day but today was a record. We plan to scale up in the next few days," said Dr Agarwal.
Registration and booking slots through the COWIN application have been big issues with the vaccination drive.
"Here, all you need is your Aadhar card and a mobile phone number. This walk-in has been a great help for all sections of the public," said Dr Agarwal, who also manages the Noida Covid Hospital in Sector 39.
The District Combined Hospital has geared up adequately for this vaccination drive. Four booths are in operation and to ensure social distancing, they are at different directions. There is a separate counter for those who come with pre-booked registration.
The Pink Booth has been a great attraction among women. (Pix: Outlook)
A pink booth has been created for women. "The hesitancy among women has reduced a lot. That's a good trend," said the CMS.
Despite the huge turnout, the process from registration to getting the certificate after the COVISHIELD jab is taking about 30 minutes. But the wait can be quite long as people are queuing up from 8AM.
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Thirty-six data entry operators on 18 computers and 14 vaccinators are managing the daily show. Forty-five hospital guards and four policemen from the local police station help manage the crowd.
"The interest is overwhelming. People are so happy that they have started calling their friends and relatives from the villages," says Dr Agarwal.
So far the vaccines have been supplied by the Uttar Pradesh government but more supplies are expected from the Central reserves.
