Notes from the field
As COVID-19 cases are again on the rise in India, it is time for massive acceleration of vaccination. I suggest the following measures: involving more private hospitals for vaccination; massive publicity by the government through the media to create awareness through the services of film personalities, politicians and sports persons; removing the co-morbidity clause for those above 45 years as it consumes more time to verify this. Eventually, all adults are to be inoculated; observation time after vaccination can be reduced or even removed as we have seen that there is no major untoward event after inoculating more than 2 crore people. This will avoid crowding at the centre; vaccination camps can be conducted at industries, big apartments and shopping malls; vaccination can be done on Sundays too, which will benefit office-goers. Finally, registration on the CoWIN database should be removed as people are of the impression that only those who are registered can get vaccinated. In fact, most people are walking in without registration.
Dr. C.R. Mohan,
Chennai
I am 87, and therefore scared to get vaccinated. After a lot of coaxing I went to a corporate hospital in Hyderabad. To my surprise, I found nearly 150 to 200 senior citizens jostling around the registration counter. This made me feel uneasy and I returned home. Later, a friend of mine took me and a few other senior citizens to a government hospital in the Golconda area. I was surprised to find no crowds in the designated area, with the hospital authorities having made special arrangements for seating. The vaccination was handled by a well-experienced nurse. I have been wrong about government hospitals.
M.P. Rao,
Hyderabad
I was pleasantly surprised by the impeccable arrangements made in the COVID-19 vaccination drive. In Chennai, I was vaccinated at the government-run health centre, at Palavakkam (ECR). The entire process took less than five minutes followed by an observation period of 30 minutes after the jab. The staff were very courteous and the ambience was clean. These efforts will instil more confidence in the public to use such public facilities.
M.B. Madhusudanan,
Chennai
I write this as an executive committee member of the Indian Academy of Geriatrics and also as the head and director of the department of geriatric medicine of two hospitals. The second phase of vaccination seems to be doing well. However, the more important question is about getting non-ambulant elders vaccinated. A vast majority of the elderly are either too terrified to leave the safety of their homes or are physically dependent on others for various needs. One way to implement this may be by empowering anganwadi workers and palliative organisations to administer the vaccine at their homes. They may be charged a nominal fee and may be required to produce a disability certificate from their family physicians. With an efficient registration mechanism, this should not be a hurdle.
Dr. Steve Paul,
Thrissur, Kerala
There is now an urgent need to publish the list of both private and government hospitals administering the vaccine in leading national and vernacular newspapers. The information will help senior citizens in particular. The same step can be done on various digital and social media platforms.
Varun Dambal,
Bengaluru
Crowds of people, many of them elderly, at hospitals are decreasing the efficiency of the vaccination process. A dedicated telephone number would help reduce the complaints of recipients as well as those of younger people who accompany the elders.
The entire process needs to be thrown open to all age groups.
Dr. K.M. Srinivasa Gowda,
Bengaluru
Sorted out
The DMK and the Congress may have reached an agreement on their seat-sharing pact, but the Congress has to accept the steady erosion of its base in Tamil Nadu. It must also note that its performance in 2016 is what affected the DMK. The DMK alliance may have an edge now, but it is too early to say whether it could script a victory.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
