Few in Assam or elsewhere in the northeast have faced problems in getting COVID-19 vaccine jabs. Some like J. Choudhury of Doomdooma in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district faced some anxious moments when he and his wife, both past 50 years, went to the government hospital on April 14 to get their second doses. The hospital turned them away because of a shortage of vaccines but they got vaccinated five days later.
Rupak Das and his wife of Bilpar in Guwahati had been planning to get their first shots after the vaccination window for those aged 18-44 opened on May 1, but their area got marked as a micro containment zone from Thursday. “I have been asking friends if they have contacts with doctors or health officials for getting vaccinated at the earliest,” he said.
Health and Family Welfare (HFW) officials admitted there had been some “rationalisation” of vaccines but “there is an instruction from the highest level that the second dose should not be stopped while the first dose should also be administered.”
The HFW officials, however, have taken note of some private hospitals having administered both doses to people below 45 years in March-April. This came to light after a 39-year-old swimmer and his wife posted the news of their vaccination on social media.
“It seems the hospital authorities have violated guidelines and age bar restrictions to illegally inoculate people. We are looking into the matter with utmost priority,” Director of Health Services (Family Welfare) Munindra Nath Ngatey said.
