‘Guardian vaccination’ in Noida, Ghaziabad: Long lines, most not eligible

GHAZIABAD/NOIDA: On the first day of the vaccination drive for parents of children below 12 years, the sites saw long queues of people who are not eligible to get the jabs.
While some turned up with fake birth certificates, others did not have children and a few ‘couples’ were not married. By the end of the day, only 75 people in the category could be inoculated in Ghaziabad that had opened 200 slots.In Noida, the number was 135 against 200 slots.
Both districts had two dedicated centres each for the “guardian special” vaccination drive.
At Delhi Public School Ghaziabad, Meerut Road, health workers said that till 1 pm, more than 40 people who were ineligible had turned up to get vaccinated. Many couples were asked to leave because their children are not below 12 years and several others were not married.
Rajiv Vashisht, from Sanjay Nagar, reached the centre with his wife Aarti but during verification, it was found that their children were older. Rajiv said they were not aware of the age criteria and the slot had been booked by their 18-year-old daughter. At Bisrakh community health centre (CHC) in Noida, teenagers, some below 18 years, also walked in to get the jabs. At Kailash Mansarovar Bhavan, Indirapuram, a man came with a fake birth certificate. During verification, it was found that he was not married and did not have children. When officials threatened him with a police complaint, he fled.
“The portal allows people to book slots but proof of children’s age has to be produced at the centre. Many people did not have that,” said Dr Sachindra Kumar Mishra, in-charge, Bisrakh CHC.
He added that proof of children’s age includes birth certificate, school documents that mention a child’s birth date and year and children’s vaccination cards, which also includes date of birth.
Sumit Gupta, from Ajnara Integrity society in Raj Nagar Extension, Ghaziabad, reached the site with his wife Arpita without booking a slot. “I had already booked a slot for June 4. But I thought of taking a chance by coming here. My children are below 12. But at the centre, I was asked to book a slot first,” Arpita said.
Most people who got the jabs, however, said it was a smooth process, Mohammad Mumtaj Ansari from Noida said he had asked his wife to wait at home because we expected huge crowds. “But the process was smooth and everyone was asked to sit far away from each other. Now, I will ask my wife to come as well,” he said.
On Tuesday, workplace vaccination camps were set up at the UPSRTC office for roadways employees and Diwani court in Surajpur collectorate office with 50 slots each. There was a camp at Noida stadium for Noida Authority officials and one at the Greater Noida authority office for the officials there.
Recently, Ghaziabad has reduced its vaccination target to 6,000 per day. Earlier, it was 10,000 in the 18-44 category. Officials have urged Suresh Kumar Khanna, the minister in-charge of Ghaziabad, to reinstate the target. He said the number might be increased after June 15 once the vaccine supply becomes more regular.
Meanwhile, officials said vaccination sites for rickshaw pullers, autorickshaw drivers and street vendors will be opened in Ghaziabad soon.