Youngsters find it difficult to book slot for vaccination

PATNA: Though vaccination for the people between 18 and 44 years of age has started in the state on Sunday, many youngsters are still struggling to get a slot. Altogether 1.39 lakh beneficiaries in this age group have been vaccinated in the past two days in Bihar as the state has got 3.4 lakh doses in the first consignment for their vaccination.
A 39-year-old Ram Nagari resident, Arpita, said she had been waiting eagerly for the vaccination of people of her age group to begin, but she could not manage to book a slot for herself.“I have been trying to book a slot since the booking started on Saturday, but could not. On opening the portal, I find all the centres in the state capital booked. There were few options in far off places like Athmalgola and Masaurhi, but it is not possible for me to cover such a long distance in the pandemic to get vaccinated,” she said.
However, 24-year-old Kanhaiya Ji considered himself lucky enough to get vaccinated on Monday. Kanhaiya said his friend Gautam had been trying from 3pm on Sunday and could book four slots for himself, his sister, wife and Kanhaiya on Monday.
“Whenever any opening was shown in the centres located in the city, it got booked within a few minutes. After much trying, Gautam got slots at Sampatchak centre, which he rescheduled to Gulzarbagh. Finally, after several attempts, his wife got a slot in Lohia Nagar and I got one in Maroofganj,” Kanhaiya said.
Veena Upadhyaya (25), a resident of Chhapra, said she along with her elder brother Dilip Kumar Upadhaya got the first dose of Covishield on Sunday. “Though we could not get a slot at Chhapra and Garkha, but found a slot at Rivilganj, around 10km from Chhapra town. It took an hour to finally get the booking and we got the vaccine shots on Sunday morning,” she said.
Another 31-year-old resident of Gaunaha in West Champaran, Vivek Badal, said booking a slot was no less than booking railway tickets in tatkal. “I got vaccinated today with two of my siblings. Within two minutes of my booking, there was no option left,” Badal said, adding, “He felt relieved after getting vaccinated and was completely fit and fine.”
When asked about the problems being faced by the youngsters in booking the slot, Patna civil surgeon Dr Vibha Kumari Singh said there is no other option and one has to book the slot in order to get vaccinated. She further added vaccination facility will be started at 5 more places — Ramdeo Mahto Community Hall near Mangal Talab, Central School in Danapur, AN College and both Sheikhpura and Kankarbagh branches of Kendriya Vidyalaya — in Patna from Tuesday.
Dr Singh said all these places will have ten tables each for vaccination.