Inoculation Drive in Chattogram: Second dose seekers continue to swarm vaccine centres
After a brief break following the Eid holiday, vaccination centres in Chattogram have resumed operations with second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Saturday. Only this time, they are providing 100 doses per day, due to severe shortage of stocks.
This is despite the fact that thousands of people are rushing to the vaccine centres everyday. But doctors and officials say there is little they can do until new supplies arrive.
Although most of the city's 11 centres continued their programme until the Eid vacation, most completely stopped since May 16, as vaccine supplies from the district's central store dried out.
Against the backdrop, Dr Selim Akter Chowdhury, chief health officer of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), declared on Saturday that only 100 people will get the second dose of vaccine per day at Chattogram General Hospital (CGH), on a priority basis, until stocks are available again.
He said people over 65, frontliners, and those who are nearing 90 days of receiving their first dose will be given preference when it comes to the second round.
As of Saturday, 338,025 people have managed to receive the second round of their vaccines, although 453,760 received the first dose. This means another 115,735 are left to receive the second dose and complete their course.
But according to sources in Chattogram civil surgeon's office, only around seven thousand doses were in stock on Saturday.
During a visit to some of the centres on Saturday, this correspondent saw people gathering regardless, scrambling to get their second doses, though there were notices pasted on the walls of CGH and CCC General Hospital that read "Vaccination stopped until further notice".
Many from the gathered crowd alleged that people who went to the centres with reference from a doctor or an influential person were getting vaccinated, while others were being denied.
Around 11am, 70-year-old Abdul Mannan was seen waiting in front of the resident medical officer's (RMO) room at CGH. He said he had arrived two hours earlier, hoping to get vaccinated as he belongs to the priority group.
"The RMO is yet to show up," he said. "Working time at the hospital starts at 8am, but I have been told by a staffer that the RMO will come at 11:30am."
Several hundred people had gathered at the hospital.
Apart from vaccine-seekers, some came for the Covid-19 antigen test, while some to get their RT-PCR report.
An aggrieved Panna Dey, who was there for her vaccine, said, "How could the authority select the same room for delivering test reports and providing vaccines?"
"There is really no way to maintain social distancing here," she continued. "We are at risk of being affected by potential positive patients."
When the RMO finally arrived after a while, he was immediately swarmed by the crowd, demanding vaccines. Most of them were turned away.
Tushar Barua (67) said he went to the superintendent of the hospital to ask why he was denied despite belonging to the priority group. He said the superintendent told him that they had run out of stock for the day and asked him to come again the next day.
Tushar, however, told The Daily Star that this was already his third day at CGH. After receiving his first dose on March 10, he has been trying to get the second since May 16, but to no avail.
He too, alleged that a doctor or influential person's reference could've helped him get it much earlier.
Contacted, superintendent of CGH Dr Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said mass vaccination has remained halted in the centre since May 16 with only people from the priority group receiving their shots, to a very limited extent.
"With the current stocks, we can continue another three to four days at this rate. Mass vaccination can only resume after we get supplies from the government again," said Dr Rabbi, also civil surgeon of Chattogram.
Asked about allegations of nepotism, Rabbi said they are not true.
About the late arrival of RMO at such a crucial time, Dr Rabbi said the RMO was late due to attending another emergency duty.
He also denied mismanagement in selecting the same room for delivering test reports and vaccinations.
"People were asked to come between 11am and noon for their tests and results, while vaccine-seekers were called in from noon. But both groups started gathering since early morning."
"What can we do? We have shortage of both space and staff," Dr Rabbi added.
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