Out of stock: No jab despite confirmed appointments in Bengaluru

Hospitals and public health centres in Bengaluru are turning away people with confirmed prior appointments for Covid vaccination. They cite the usual reason of vaccine shortages.

Many citizens who booked appointments on the Cowin portal and reached the vaccination centres were anguished to learn that the doses had run out of stock. These included people who were due for the second dose. To make matters worse, the Cowin portal doesn’t have an option to reschedule the vaccination appointment.

Brinda Rao, a resident of RR Nagar, had booked the appointment for her mother’s second dose on May 12 and received confirmation messages. To be on the safer side, she called up the centre for a final confirmation. She was informed that the facility had run out of doses and she was asked to reschedule the appointment.

But to Rao’s frustration, the app doesn’t have the option to reschedule the appointment.

Meanwhile, some centres are sending people to other facilities. The reason is the same: no stock.

Read | Karnataka to float global tender for two crore Covid-19 vaccine doses

A few people had their appointments cancelled many times over, and there was no option to reschedule it.

Vishnukantha, a resident of Uttarahalli, was twice turned away by the vaccination centre even after receiving the confirmation message. “This looks like a scam bigger than hospital bed-blocking,” Vishnukantha alleged.

Nethravathi Manoj’s efforts to book the vaccination appointment at a private hospital — which charge a fee — also hit a dead end. She said people walking in were being asked to come after two or three days even if they need the second dose.

“This has become a nightmare during this lockdown,” said Manoj, who is trying to get her mother vaccinated the second time.

The rush at the vaccination centres and the unavailability of doses have prompted many people to defer taking the jab. “Looking at the crowd at the vaccination centres, especially in government hospitals, I have decided to get my jab only after a month or so,” said 32-year-old Bijju. “If I go there now, I’m sure I’ll get infected.”