Low turnout at 24x7 vaccination centres

NEW DELHI: The turnout at the Delhi government-run 24x7 vaccination centres has dropped significantly due to the lockdown, several district officials said.

They also pointed out that several health care workers tested positive for Covid-19 in the infection’s fourth wave in the city, leading to a staff crunch, and there was a need to rework the round-the-clock vaccination plan for the effective utilisation of personnel.

“We have eight sites where we provide 24x7 vaccination. We used to get about 70-100 people at all the sites between 9pm and 9am in a day before the lockdown. But now, the numbers have dropped to somewhere around 35-50,” a senior official from the northwest district said.

Each vaccination site has a team of five people, including one vaccinator. The Delhi government on April 5 ordered that one-third of all vaccination centres in government-run hospitals function will round-theclock.

The north municipal corporation, which runs one 24x7 centre, said just 10-15 people come to take the vaccine after evening. The mayor of the north corporation, Jai Prakash said, “Most people come during the day for vaccination. We are getting 10-15 people at our centre between 9pm and 9am The Delhi government needs to rethink the 24x7 vaccination centres to ensure effective utilisation of health care workers. Now, we are facing a staff crunch as many workers have contracted the infection. Maybe the timing can be revised till 10pm or 11pm, since not many people come late night, or something should be done to encourage people to come at night.”

A district magistrate who asked not to be named said that government hospitals treating Covid-19 patients were also facing a staff crunch.

“Hospitals treating Covid patients have raised the issue of running these 24x7 centres these days. We will take up the matter with senior officials. So far, there is no problem in running the 24x7 facility in the noncovid hospital,” said the district magistrate.

A Delhi government spokesperson did not comment when asked if there were plans to reassign staff at round-the-clock vaccination centres.