Lulu Mall in Kochi has organised a drive-in COVID-19 vaccination programme for those wanting to get vaccinated in the city. People can get the jab through the on-spot registration facility arranged in the mall. The three-day vaccination drive, which is being held from August 25 to August 27, is organised in association with MAJ Hospital in Edapally.
A statement from Lulu Malls said that only Covishield will be administered at the drive. The mall has set up a drive-through facility via the parking lot, through which people can get vaccinated without having to step out of their vehicles. MAJ Hospital officials told TNM that their health team will be present at Lulu Mall throughout the vaccination drive.
"People can wait in their vehicles for half an hour following vaccination. Our health team will monitor them," an MAJ Hospital official said. He also added that this drive-through vaccination programme is being held for the first time in Kochi. In order to get the vaccine, the person must submit a valid government identity proof. The price of the vaccine at the drive is fixed at Rs 780.
Last week, Kerala's first drive-through vaccination centre was opened in Thiruvananthapuram. Conducted by the district administration at the Government College for Women, the centre is open round-the-clock. However, the facility reportedly does not have on-spot registrations, and people have been requested to book their slots using the Co-WIN portal.
The drive-through facility in Kochi is expected to aid hundreds of people waiting to get their jabs. Ernakulam district has the third highest active (19,101) COVID-19 cases in the state, followed by Malappuram (26,044) and Kozhikode (22,371). Earlier, on August 17, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that more than half the population of the state, about 1,77,88,931 people, has received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.