At 9 am on March 1, the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive for people above 60 years and those aged 45 and above with comorbidities began across the country, with registration on the Co-WIN2.0 portal opening for all in the morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first few people to get vaccinated in India and he shared a picture on Twitter after taking the shot, asking people to get the shot as well.
All citizens that are aged, or will attain the age of 60 or more as of January 1, 2022, are eligible to register, in addition to all such citizens that are aged, or will attain the age of 45 to 59 years as of January 1, 2022, and have any of the specified 20 comorbidities. Citizens will be able to register and book an appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere, using the Co-WIN 2.0 portal or through other IT applications such as Arogya Setu.
Over one million citizens have registered themselves on the Co-WIN portal till 1 pm on Monday, the Union Health Ministry has said. Thousands of people queued up at government and private medical facilities across the country as the country further opened its vaccination programme that started on January 16 for healthcare and sanitary workers.
In Bengaluru, a 97-year old man was among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Senior citizens sporting face masks queued up at private Manipal Hospitals here for getting the vaccine shot. Some of the beneficiaries were wheelchair-bound.
"Ramaswami Parthasarathy, 97-year-old, was the first to get vaccinated," Manipal Hospitals said in a statement. The hospital appealed to the senior citizens and people above 45 years with comorbidities to register themselves for inoculation.
"We at Manipal Hospitals have started the vaccination drive today. The registrations for the vaccination can be completed online through the Co-WIN app, and people in the age group of 60 plus can directly walk-in for the vaccination," it said in the statement.
Meanwhile, government hospitals in the state have also started preparations for vaccination.
"Today only we got direction from the government. We are starting the registration process from today and will begin the vaccination drive once the preparations are over," Director and Dean of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Dr C R Jayanthi told PTI.
The state government has said vaccination will take place at all its taluk and district level hospitals and two identified private hospitals in each district. According to the state health department, vaccination days will be Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in government facilities and all working days in private hospitals.
The number of vaccinations would be limited to 200 per day per session site and would be on a first come first serve basis. However, online registered beneficiaries would be allotted a specific time in a day.
In Chennai, 79-year-old KV Lakshmanan and his wife 77-year-old L Malathi were among the first few to get the vaccine. They were given a Covishield shot, as the hospital had received a supply of the Serum Institute of India’s vaccine. “We were among the first few who had reached the hospital for vaccination. There was no discomfort or pain after we were injected. We were asked by the hospital to wait for half an hour to check if there was any reaction. After 30 minutes, since there was no reaction, the hospital gave us a Frooti each and let us go home,” KV Lakshmanan told TNM. Malathi added, “I feel relieved, I am satisfied with the vaccine process. My tension has been alleviated a little after taking the vaccine. Our family doctor recommended we take it and I feel everyone should take the vaccine.”
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79-year-old KV Lakshmanan and his wife 77-year-old L Malathi from Chennai
In Hyderabad, 74-year-old Tulasi Prasad, a resident of Padmarao Nagar, received the first shot of the vaccine on Monday. He said, "I have been worried for the past one year because of the disease. Every time when I got a cold, cough or fever, I would get anxious. I was very afraid to venture out for any kind of work. People are not wearing masks, some come too close."
"I did expect that the government would bring out the vaccine so early. We are really happy to get vaccinated. My children who stay in America are so relieved. They insisted that I get vaccinated. The process to get registered was also very smooth. I did not face any hassle," he added.
N Shashank, a Hyderabad resident who got his parents vaccinated, said, "For the past one year, each time I returned home from outside, I used to worry that I might infect my elderly parents. Thankfully, now I do not have to worry about it. And they can also be relieved. I urge all the elderly to take the vaccine."
Indira from Thiruvananthapuram, who got vaccinated, told the media that she did not experience any discomfort when she got vaccinated.
"There was just some slight pain when the needle pricked my arm. I did not have any discomfort. We were there for an hour for observation after vaccination. Everyone should take it (the vaccine)," Indira said.
"Initially, I had some doubts, but decided to take it as I had to go out frequently for my job,” shared Thiruvananthapuram resident, Lakshmi, while speaking to the media after getting vaccinated. “But there was no discomfort. There was a huge rush to take the first shot of the vaccine," she added.