Covid 19 Vaccination

Hello Everyone,

I hope you and your loved ones are heathy and safe!

Over the past few weeks, there has been an extensive debate on Vaccination availability, vaccination drive in India, efficacy of vaccine by each brand etc. etc. I am no expert to debate any of those but I am taking some time out to pen down my personal experience getting my first dose of Vaccine earlier today – 7th May, 2021.

As first step, I registered directly on CoWin App (www.cowin.gov.in/home) via browser (not App), received OTP in seconds and registration process took a total of 4-5 minutes. I also guided few friends over a video call using screen share as few were struggling due to OTP or App related bugs.

Second most important step was to find a slot – Keep looking for a slot until you find one (there are millions of us searching for a slot!). A tip that worked for me was to search during late hours and also trying different search methods (By District, By specific pin code), as soon as you find a slot just block it. You will have an option to reschedule, I could do it at least once.

It’s like a flash sale, I could notice slots filling up within seconds and down to 0 within in 5-7 mins. Again, book a slot as soon as you find something close by.

Also, don’t wait to find a slot at a hospital next door. There are multiple options available and quite a few vaccination centers in school, colleges etc. All are safe and very well managed (with personal experience of friends and family)

I booked an appointment at Apollo Hospital New Delhi for a 9 A.M. slot. I decided to reach there by 8, I was ok waiting for an additional hour instead of going when its more crowded (After the experience, I realized going that early is not required). I along with two more people were the first ones to reach the payment counter, followed by 3-4 people in next 15 mins or so. Apollo Delhi managed the whole process very efficiently, they opened the payment counter at 8:15 (45 mins before the actual slot), since medical staff was available they also let people in early. I was done in flat 25-30 minutes (including the 20 minutes wait time). Payment process, social distancing, queues etc were managed very effectively and hospital staff was reaching out to people proactively to guide everyone on the process.

As we all know Vaccine is just another line of Defense, being careful always during and after the dose is key. Don’t forget to carry hand sanitizers, double mask (surgical mask inside and cloth mask outside), face shield, avoid interacting with people as much as possible and of course staying at a safe distance always!

Please do not think about skipping the vaccine (I know we all love reading those conspiracy theories J). Government and the medical community are putting their best foot forward to manage the vaccination drive for a country of 1.3 billion people. It will never be a perfect process, there will be few flaws but let’s not add to the risk which is out there already. Get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Wish you all a healthy long life.