Noida school offers shots at discount; 24/7 site at varsity
For poor, the school in Sector 100 will offer Covishield shot for ₹400; Sharda univ has on-the-spot registration for 45+
NOIDA: The TRS Public School in Noida Sector 100 will serve as a walk-in vaccination centre for those in the 45+ age category where the vaccines will be available at a subsidised rate.
The Covishield vaccine will be available for those in the economically weaker section at ₹400, while for the rest it would be for ₹750. Other private centres offer the shots at a minimum of ₹850 per jab.
Gautam Budh Nagar member of Parliament Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the centre on Wednesday. The school also serves as a Covid care centre for patients with mild infections. The centre will be operated by an NGO called Noida Lok Manch along with the school management. It will be open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, and 10am to 1pm on Sundays. The target is to vaccinate 150 people a day and it achieved 70 on Wednesday.
“Those with a BPL (below poverty line) card can avail of the rebate. If they say they cannot present the card, we will take a decision after a discussion on a case-to-case basis,” said Rishipal Singh Awana, chairman of TRS Public School.
After liberalisation of the vaccine procurement scheme, private health centres have been allowed to determine their cost of vaccination as well as the mode of registration -- walk-in or through the CO-WIN portal.
Another 24/7 centre
From Sunday, the district will get its second 24/7 drive-through vaccination centre at Sharda University in Greater Noida. It will have on-the-spot registration for those under the 45+ category, but those of 18-45 group will require prior appointments. The slots will open on Friday.
“We have 10 booths throughout the campus and some booths will be for drive-through vaccination while others will be for on-foot vaccination. The vaccination centre will be run by Sharda Hospital,” said PK Gupta, chairman, Sharda Hospital.
Dr Ajit Kumar, PR director of Sharda Hospital and University, said that they hope to vaccinate 1,000 people daily.
Felix Hospital in Sector 137 is the other started 24/7 drivethrough vaccination centre. The hospital also carried out a paid vaccination camps at Paras Tierea society in Sector 137 where as many as 250 residents got vaccinated on Wednesday.
For kin of police
A two-day vaccination drive for the family members of Gautam Budh Nagar police was started at the Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar hostel in Greater Noida. As many as 1600 people were vaccinated here on Wednesday.
“During the second wave of Covid-19, the district police was at the frontline to serve the people. From escorting oxygen supply from factories to hospitals to creating green corridors for ambulances during emergencies, police officials have helped save many lives. Hence, it is our moral duty to ensure that the police force as well as their family members are vaccinated on priority,” said Alok Singh, Commissioner of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar.
GB Nagar’s challenge remains
As per GB Nagar District Magistrate Suhas LY, the district is still facing a trying time in getting people vaccinated. “At least 20-30% of people in the 45+ age group are still not coming forward to get vaccinated. This is a challenge, but we are hopeful that our sensitisation and awareness programmes will work. The district reported 21,00 total vaccinations on Wednesday, that includes as government as well as private centres,” he said.
Dr Neeraj Tyagi, District Immunisation Officer, GB Nagar said that the government centres in the district vaccinated as many as 12,214 people on Wednesday, of which 9341 were from 18-45 age group.