Guwahati vaccination: Confusion rules as people rush to hospitals sans vaccine

Guwahati: Confusion prevailed in Guwahati, Assam on Saturday as several private hospitals handed out appointments on Co-WIN even before they actually procured the doses.

Co-WIN is the official platform for Indian citizens to register for COVID-19 vaccination and schedule their vaccination slots at the nearest vaccination centres. While registrations began at 4 pm on April 28, the third phase of the national vaccination drive for citizens in the 18-44 age group started on Saturday.

Several youths thronged the Global Hospital of Surgery with Co-WIN generated appointment slips on Saturday afternoon only to be told that vaccination would only begin once the hospital has supplies.

The hospital located in Guwahati’s Sijubari area was among those accepting appointments on the Co-WIN portal on Thursday. “It was a trial session. We were checking if the portal would work. During that time, many booked appointments. We don’t have any doses yet for the 18-44 age group,” an executive of the hospital told EastMojo.

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“We will start the vaccination for the 18-44 age group only after May 7,” the executive added.

Ayur Hospital, which was also accepting appointments on Co-WIN for the 18-44 age group, too, did not have any vaccines. “We have not started yet. We have not received any vaccines,” an official of the hospital said responding to a telephonic query.

Similarly, an official at the Guwahati’s branch of Apollo Hospitals, too, said it was still not clear when the facility would start vaccination for the third phase.