CO-WIN application develops glitch again: Many names go missing

ACCORDING TO THE ICMR RULES, BENEFICIARIES OF COVISHIELD AND COVAXIN HAVE TO TAKE THE SECOND DOSE AFTER 28 DAYS OF TAKING THE FIRST VACCINE

MUMBAI: Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started administering the second jab of Covid-19 vaccines to beneficiaries who were inoculated on January 16, many healthcare workers (HCWS) could not get the shot as their names were missing in the ‘partially vaccinated’ section owing to a technical glitch on the centralised CO-WIN app.

As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) rules, beneficiaries of Covishield and Covaxin have to take the second dose after 28 days of taking the first vaccine.

All 1,926 beneficiaries who were vaccinated on January 16, the first day of the nation-wide mass immunisation drive, were supposed to get the second dose on Monday. BMC claims they don’t have the cumulative data.

“Names of some HCWS who took the first vaccines were missing from the CO-WIN app on Monday. So, we couldn’t vaccinate them. We had to send them home,” said Dr Sankhe Lalit, incharge of the Covaxin immunisation programme at JJ hospital.

Dr Sandhaya More, a dentist, who went to Nair Hospital, said, “I had to change my appointments to get my second shot. But after reaching the hospital, I was told that my name was not visible on the app. I was again asked to come next week.”

Also, doctors whose names were showing on the app didn’t get any auto generated message from CO-WIN about their scheduled appointment for the second dose. Dr Gautam Bhansali, a consultant physician with Bombay Hospital was informed telephonically on Sunday night to reach BKC jumbo centre for his vaccination.

A senior health officer seeking anonymity said on January 16, as the application didn’t work, it didn’t register the names of the beneficiaries who got the first shot. So now, the application is failing to generate the names of those HCWS for their second shot. Another staff from BYL Nair hospital said they haven’t been allowed to give second dose offline if their names don’t get reflected on the system.

According to experts, the first dose of the vaccine helps recognise the virus and ramp up the immune system which helps the body fight against diseases. The second dose is called the booster shot, which helps in further boosting of the immune system.

Dr Rahul Pandit, directorcritical Care, Fortis Hospital, Mumbai, said, “Scientific evidence and data available for Covishield says the second dose must be taken within 8-12 weeks because the efficacy is better. No such data is available for Covaxin. In the public health set-up, one needs to follow the guidelines and if our national immunisation guidelines say the second dose must be taken on completion of four weeks, we should abide by it,” he said.

Of the 1,926 beneficiaries who got first dose on January 16, only 71 got their second dose, which stands as 3.68% turnout. BMC, in its press release, blamed the glitch in the COWIN app as the reason behind the low turnout.