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I am now fully vaccinated. I got the second dose of Covishield yesterday.
That's the very popular Indian version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured here by Serum Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines.
I took the first dose on April 9.
Earlier, the gap between the two shots of Covishield was smaller, I think between 28 and 45 days. Later, in the face of a massive shortage of vaccines, the government widened the gap to 84 days.
The other popular vaccine in India is Covaxin, a completely Indian product manufactured by Bharat Biotech. The gap for this continues to be a minimum of 30 days.
AT APARTMENT COMPLEX
I took the jab at a vaccination camp held in our apartment complex. A remarkably smooth process.
All that we had to do was carry our personal identity document and the code that was generated when we registered for vaccination on the government portal CoWin.
The hospital personnel at the site upload the particulars to the portal and soon after the vaccination, we get a message from the government's Health Ministry stating that we have govt vaccinated. From the portal, we can also download a certificate.
Incidentally, the Indian government is holding a global conclave later today on leveraging technology in vaccination management.
ADDITIONAL COST
Many resident welfare organisations and private companies are taking such initiatives in partnership with private hospitals, which is a good move, considering that it increases the number of people who are inoculated.
The cost is a little higher though. I paid ₹1,100, while for the first one at a private hospital, I paid ₹750.
The extra cost, over and above the government-stipulated price, is presumably for the favour of coming over to our residential complex, something that everyone would appreciate since it's risky to go to a hospital in these times.
Some private hospitals agree to send vaccinators to even residences, but again at an extra cost.
The vaccination is free of cost at government hospitals and public health centres. The local corporation is not quite enthusiastic about coming over to residential premises.
ROLE OF PRIVATE HOSPITALS
I think for a large country like India, it's perfectly okay for the private sector to be given some leeway to manage such massive operations. So that the government resources and money can be channelled to the people who can't afford the cost. After all, nothing comes for free.
A positive outcome of the active involvement of the private sector is that a large number of people, who can afford to pay the cost, do get vaccinated, and thereby slowing down the spread of the coronavirus.