Bengaluru’s vaccination numbers improve but disparity at a zonal level surfaces

BBMP has set a target of 1 lakh vaccination per day keeping in mind a possible third wave but some are struggling to get the jab.
A woman getting her COVID-19 shot
A woman getting her COVID-19 shot

The number of vaccine doses administered on a single day in Bengaluru, which had been dropping since June 21 when it topped the list of Indian cities, seems to have stabilized near the 1 lakh mark. Bengaluru had administered over 1.74 lakh doses on June 21 as part of the state government’s drive on the occasion of the summer solstice, which also incidentally marked the first day of the Union government’s revised vaccination policy. On Monday, June 28, a little more than lakh doses were administered within BBMP limits, compared to 1.74 lakh doses that were given on June 21. The 1,00,426 number is higher than the last 10-day average (92,825) and last 20-day average (80,666) ending June 26, according to the BBMP War Room data. The BBMP has set a target of 1 lakh vaccination per day keeping in mind a possible third wave of infections. On June 29, the number of vaccines administered had crossed the 50,000 mark by 4 pm.

While the 1 lakh-mark of daily doses within BBMP limits is an improvement, a situation of vaccine disparity within the city has surfaced. This has even led to instances of people being forced to return from their chosen centers without getting the vaccine in recent days. 

Speaking with TNM, zonal health officials within the BBMP said while some zones have shortages, others did not, which suggested an asymmetry of stock within the city. While officers of South and RR Nagar zones categorically complained of erratic supply, an official in the Yelahanka zone said they have enough vaccine to even expand it to colleges. Sameer*, a resident of RR Nagar ward said that he has been going to multiple vaccination centres only to be denied. “Some places say it's only for the ward people there. I have been to all the RR Nagar PHCs and camps but did not find any. I went to the Kengeri Government Hospital too but there they said it’s only for 45+,” he said. He added, “I stood in a queue in RR Nagar camp for two hours again today (June 29) then they are saying the vaccine hasn't come.”

In another such incident, S Vinod Kumar, a resident of Bengaluru East had got a slot on Cowin for Cox Town PHC on Sunday. But to his disappointment, when he went there the camp was already shut for the day.  “We are not getting vaccine supply regularly. One day there is a surplus in supply and the other day there is a shortage of supply. However, if someone misses due to shortage we ask them to come the next day,” one zonal health officer said.

The officer added, “If we get a regular supply of a given number of doses, say 5000, we will be able to administer in a better way. But some days it is 10,000 and the other days it is 1,000."

BBMP Special Health Commissioner D Randeep said these issues will soon be rectified as there is a daily zone-wise resource utilization meeting across zones. “Everyday only after accounting for the closing stock at 8 pm, we allot fresh stocks. Further internally zones are permitted to do lateral transfers even though vaccines are allocated primarily based on the population per area basis,” he said, adding, “Slightly higher allocation was given keeping in account the zones where there are more colleges.”

Meanwhile, BBMP Commissioner Gaurav Gupta had said that in areas with low vaccine penetration, they will hold special camps. He said that as per Palike’s estimate, 50% of the adult population is vaccinated with one dose but it has to increase further. He said by the end of July, 70% of all adults will be vaccinated with one dose. A door-to-door survey is underway to identify pockets with low vaccine penetration.

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