CoWin registration a tall order for low-income families, elderly
The Hindu
Shortage of vaccines hits plans to organise special vaccination camps for them
Many elderly people who are not tech-savvy and financially backward families that don’t have access to a smartphone or computer are struggling to get a slot booked for their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine through CoWin portal. Though lists of such persons are available with ward-level committees and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), shortage of vaccines has hit plans to organise special vaccination camps for them. “I am totally clueless about the procedures to be followed for booking the vaccine. We have no smartphone to do it independently. On-call booking system would have been very helpful for those who use ordinary phones,” says Komalam, a daily wage worker from Puthiyangadi. She adds that those with smartphones are also not able to help her because of non-availability of slots. Some of the senior citizens say the one-time password (OTP) troubles them a lot during the booking process. Many a time, the OTP comes late or the website goes into time-out mode while entering it, they complain. According to them, the process cannot be completed without the assistance of a third person. They also demand a walk-in facility for vaccination for the elderly.More Related News
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