Beneficiaries in the city reach nearby districts for getting jabbed

Picture used for representational purpose only

Bengaluru: As the city is facing an acute shortage of vaccines, beneficiaries especially in the age group of 18-44 are going to the nearby districts to get vaccinated.

They have better access to smartphones and high-speed internet and win vehicles, so they are rushing to neighbouring districts like Bengaluru rural, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Ramanagara, Tumakuru, Mandya and Mysuru to get jabbed.

The sudden movement of people to rural areas may adversely affect the local people who are not well aware of the online registration for vaccination.

Twitter handles like Bangalore Vaccine Update @Blore-Vaccine and various Telegram groups give information on the availability of lots in and around Bengaluru. Also, there are many portals that help to track the vaccine availability. They provide information about centres where vaccines are available. Those who have the confirmation SMS for scheduled vaccination are being permitted to travel outside the city.

“Reached at 9:10 am. Got tokens around 9:40 am. They prioritised the second dose so it took a bit longer. But was out at 11:15 am. Around half the recipients were from Bengaluru. Line moves fast (sic)”, tweeted Sudhir Srinivasan who got his first shot at Chintamani in Chikkaballapura.

Nikhil Rajendran tweeted, “Vaccination process was smooth. When it came to travelling, I was stopped thrice by police on the Bengaluru-Chintamani route, but when I showed the appointment slip, they were fine and there were no issues.”

“The centre was well-managed and there was no crowding. They will ask for your ID proof and appointment confirmation message”, tweeted Abhishek Humney who travelled from Mahadevapura to Govt. Boys’ School, Hoskote.

“I got my vaccination slot in Bangalore Rural (562114) for 14th May. Am I allowed to travel for vaccination from 560008 with appointment slip and SMS confirmation?”, asked Girish Valecha, a netizen. The health department wrote ” Yes” in response.

Even though there is nothing illegal in getting vaccines from rural areas, health experts fear that this could lower the rate of vaccination in those areas. Forever Bengaluru @ForeverBLRU tweeted, “Bengaluru Rural vaccines are for people living there. Let’s not snatch it away.”

As of Monday, the CoWin portal shows that the total vaccine doses given in BBMP was 19.86 lakh, Bengaluru urban (3.02 lakh), Mysuru (7.9 lakh), Bengaluru Rural (1.82 lakh), Kolar (2.36 lakh), Tumakuru (4.29 lakh), Mandya (3.26 lakh), Chikkaballapura (2.59 lakh) and Ramanagara (2.29 lakh).