COVID Vaccine registration: Netizens fume as slots for 18-44 age group in Mumbai 'close in a blink' after opening

The vaccination drive has faced roadblocks due to lack of doses (File image: Reuters)

The vaccine registration slots for the 18-44 age group in Mumbai "closed in a blink" after opening at 7:30 pm on May 3. This led to an array of netizens marking their angst against the administration.

The opening up of slots for online vaccine registration - which is mandatory for beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group - was announced by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a social media post.

The BMC, on its Twitter handle, had stated that the slots would open for the five registration centres for 500 vaccine doses. The timing for the inoculation drive would be 9 am to 5 pm.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine shortage continues in Mumbai

Slots Opening At 7.30 PM For The 18-44s

9 am-5 pm, same 5 centres , 500 vaccine doses, hopefully the same discipline too

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more

Show

Related stories

• 
  Mumbai: Fire breaks out in 24-storey building in Dahisar, 1 dead, 18 injured
• 
  Mumbai’s famous studio to be demolished, 69-storey luxury tower planned In Mahalaxmi
• 
  BMC clears 1 lakh kg waste dumped during Maratha stir at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan

45 aboves may walk-in ONLY for their second dose with their first dose certificate/sms

List of centres to be updated tonight #MyBMCVaccinationUpdate

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) May 3, 2021

Netizens who had logged on to the CoWIN platform to register themselves claimed that the slots went full within minutes.

"The slots get full even before a fraction of second," said one Twitter user identified as Sarang Cheema. "Despite multiple attempts after clicking it just hangs and nothing gets booked all the slots are shown as booked," another user, Vikrant Pawar, added.

"I was constantly on CoWIN web portal since 7:20 pm to 7:40 pm for the vaccine slot scheduling. No slots were opened even for a blink of sec (sic)," a Twitter user identified as Radhika Prabhu claimed.

Here's how the netizens vented their frustration:

Seriously, how are people getting slots in Mumbai for the vaccine ???!!! I was on the app for the past 20 mins, kept refreshing and in a moment I saw there was an opening, slots 0. How's it even possible ? @mybmc What's happening ?

— Aayushi (@aayushigala) May 3, 2021

By when we will have this "catch me if you can" kind of vaccine schedule.

The slots get full even before a fraction of second. Seriously, you can only arrange just 2500 does for 18 to 44 age category per day!! Despite Mumbai being the economic capital!! Sorry state of affairs!!

— Sarang Cheema (@sarangcheema) May 3, 2021

All the slots were booked before 7:30. d
Despite multiple attempts after clicking it just hangs and nothing gets booked all the slots are shown as booked. @AUThackeray @CMOMaharashtra Pune has close to 150 vaccine centers, Thane around 90 centers. Why Mumbai has only 15?

— VIKRANT PAWAR (@vspawar) May 3, 2021

@mybmc @OfficeofUT @mayor_mumbai @MoHFW_INDIA

I was constantly on cowin web portal since 7:20 to 7:40 pm for the vaccine slot scheduling. No slots were opened even for a blink of sec. @7:40 suddenly the website displayed slots booked for 18+ across 5 centres in Maharashtra.

— Radhika Prabhu (@radhika2104) May 3, 2021

Maharashtra is among the states where the inoculation drive for the 18-44 age group has hit roadblocks, with the government claiming a shortage of doses.

The state is prioritising the jabs for the 45-plus age group - a section of which is yet to receive their second dose.

As per the update issued by the BMC on May 3, the 45-plus age group beneficiaries can walk in "only for their second dose". They would be required to carry along with them the "SMS/certificate" which would confirm that they have received the first dose.

The list of vaccination centres would be "updated tonight", the civic body had further stated.