Co-WIN glitches again slow down inoculation drive in Mumbai

On the second day of COVID-19inoculation drive in the city, the civic body managed toadminister vaccines to only 50 per cent of the targeted numberof healthcare workers on Tuesday due to glitches in Co-WINsoftware application, officials said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officialsagain blamed technical glitches in Co-WIN, the IT platformdeveloped by the Union government to implement and manage theinoculation process, for low turnout of healthcare workers.

On Saturday, when the nationwide inoculation drive waslaunched, the civic body had suspended the process for twodays due to the same reason related to Co-WIN.

On Tuesday, when the drive resumed, of the targeted3,200 healthcare workers called for getting vaccinated at ninecentres, only 1,597 were given shots, according to the civicbody data.

According to the data, the highest 307 healthcareworkers were given vaccines at KEM Hospital, followed by 285at Rajawadi Hospital and 236 at Dr Babasaheb AmbedkarHospital, among other medical facilities.

The least number of 13 healthcare workers took dosesat the state-run JJ Hospital, where indigenously developed''Covaxin'' vaccine of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is beingadministered, according to the data.

The other vaccine being administered is 'Covishield',manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII).

On the first day of the inoculation drive, only 39 ofthe targeted 100 healthcare workers had taken ''Covaxin'' doses.

Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, BMC, toldPTI that due to the technical glitches in Co-WIN, they failedto send SMSes to the registered healthcare workers.

''Hence, we were forced to call every individualhealthcare worker through 'war rooms' last night,'' Gomaresaid.

''When we learnt that SMSes were not being sent topeople (through Co-WIN), we contacted them through war rooms,''Gomare said.

The BMC health officer said they have alreadycontacted the Maharashtra government regarding the technicalissues faced in functioning of Co-WIN and hoped for an earlyresolution of the problem.

On the first day of COVID-19 inoculation drive onSaturday, only 1,923 of the targeted 4,000 healthcare weretaken vaccine doses.

The civic body had blamed glitches in Co-WIN for thelow turnout and put the drive on hold on Sunday and Monday.

On Tuesday morning, at all the nine centres in Mumbai,inoculation started at a slow pace.

Unlike Saturday, there was hardly any rush ofhealthcare workers in waiting areas of vaccination centres.

Some healthcare workers from KEM Hospital said theyhad received phone calls from the BMC's war rooms on Mondaynight between 8.30 and 11.30, but no SMSes were sent to them.

However, some others said they received SMSes on earlyTuesday morning, asking them to come at inoculation sites.

PTI KKRSY RSY