The Gujarat government on Wednesday extended the date by 10 days for vaccination of all staff members in commercial establishments and factories after shortage of vaccine doses. Earlier, the authorities had directed the owners of the factories, businessmen and commercial operators to get their staff inoculated by June 30.
As the vaccination has picked up, people in main cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara are scrambling for jabs as the civic bodies have shut several special centres due to unavailability of the shots.
On Wednesday, the government said 2.06 crore have so far received their first jab of the 4.93 crore eligible people.
“Almost 41% people have received their first vaccine shot,” said the government release. The health department said 2.84 lakh people were administered the shot on Wednesday.
In Ahmedabad, several centres ran out of the stock. “There are no vaccines available in several centres. The government and the Municipal Corporation (AMC) must arrange the stock so that people can get their shot,” said Rasikbhai Patel, a shop owner.
Officials in the civic body and the health department contend that the sudden announcement of walk-in and no requirement of prior registration has led to a rush of people. “People are walking in without registration so we are facing a shortage,” said a staff member of the vaccine centre in Bodakdev.
