Wealthy, tech-savvy jump vaccine queue

Between taking orders and handing over parcels of sushi and papaya-mango salad to delivery boys, Indian restaurant manager Padam Vibhushan has fruitlessly hunted online and in hospitals for a Covid-19 vaccine slot since he became eligible on May 1.

The 43-year-old is among many in Mumbai who are stuck at the back of the vaccination queue because they do not have a fancy address or a corporate employer to help protect them from a pandemic that has killed some 380,000 Indians.

Life is easier for the residents of sprawling apartment block complexes and staff at major banks and information technology firms who are getting the jab on their premises, amid widening vaccine inequity in India's most populous metropolis.

"As long as I wasn't in the eligible category for the shot, I was not so desperate. But, after it opened for my age group, I thought I would get it within a fortnight," said Mr Vibhushan.

"My restaurant has remained open for delivery through the second wave and I interact with 30 to 40 people every day.

"I think the vaccine would ease the stress I feel.

"I work about 15 hours, wearing a mask all the time. I just want to breathe."

Mr Vibhushan has no one to lobby for a vaccine on his behalf as he lives in a standalone building with few residents and works for a small business.

With the world's second-highest tally of infections, India's central government has faced criticism for a bungled vaccine roll-out that has covered fewer than 5 per cent of an estimated adult population of 950 million.

India began vaccinating frontline workers and over 60s against Covid in January but hit a hurdle in May when all adults became eligible for a jab, amid major supply shortages.

The central government said it would buy 50 per cent of available stocks from manufacturers each month to vaccinate the elderly and front-line workers for free and let private hospitals and state governments compete for the other 50 per cent.

But city authorities soon found they were unable to procure enough vaccines and rapidly scaled back their plans - with the financial capital, Mumbai, only offering vaccines for over 45s.

Meanwhile, private hospitals were enlisted by local leaders and civic officials to hold vaccination drives at big apartment complexes, offering jabs to those who could afford to pay about Rs1,500 ($27) per dose.

"It took me 30 minutes to get the shot. We couldn't have asked for more," said businessman Jayesh Mantri, 43, who got vaccinated with his wife at a camp for residents of their apartment block.

"I would prefer the second shot the same way."

He added that it had been impossible to secure a slot on the government mobile application for vaccination bookings.

In Mumbai, private hospitals accounted for 570,000 of the 620,000 vaccine doses administered to 18 to 44-year-olds, data from the civic body shows, with the remaining 50,000 doses given by the state to priority groups like students studying abroad.

How have vaccination drive organisers been able to procure the sought-after shots when state governments cannot?

"Contacts, persuasion and follow-ups," said Mr Mihir Kotecha, a local legislator who teamed up with private hospitals to host Mumbai's first vaccination camp for Indian central bank staff.

Mr Kotecha said he has been holding other camps in big apartment blocks and soon plans to offer vaccines in smaller units to under 45s who are not eligible for state vaccinations.

"About 90 per cent of the 18 to 44 year-olds in Mulund will be vaccinated by mid-July," said Mr Kotecha, referring to the central Mumbai suburb that he represents.

Supporters of the private vaccine roll-out say that it can reach more people faster and reduces pressure on the government.

But critics say the main reason private hospitals have been more successful than states in procuring vaccines is because they pay manufacturers twice as much - Rs600 a dose.

Many luxury and star hotels, such as Radisson Hotel in Hyderabad and The Lalit in Mumbai, have collaborated with hospitals to provide "Covid-19 vaccination packages" priced at more than Rs3,000.

It includes a comfortable stay, healthy breakfast, dinner and Wi-Fi, along with "vaccination by experts from a renowned hospital" and "clinical consultation on request".

Many people criticised this on Twitter and noted that the Covid vaccine has become a "proper luxury item" in India.

While one person asked how Radisson was getting the vaccines, another pointed out how the price was "unaffordable for many".

Amid the criticism, the central government came down strongly on such offerings and said that vaccinations carried out in star hotels is in violation of the guidelines issued for the national vaccination programme and must be stopped immediately.

Media agencies in several states have also reported that government clinics in rural areas have been inundated with tech-savvy urban dwellers using the Co-win app to obtain inoculations, while the less sophisticated locals are left out.

Outcry over the shortages of vaccines at state facilities while private hospitals were offering jabs for a fee forced a government U-turn last week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the central government would from June 21 take over vaccination procurement from the states and give free vaccines to all adults, delivered via state-run vaccination centres.

Mr Modi said private hospitals will still be allowed to buy 25 per cent of vaccine supplies but could not charge more than Rs150 over the cost of the dose.

Restaurant manager Vibhushan said he did not begrudge the wealthy and connected getting the shot first "but it is no solution if only big companies get it and not all labour unions or roadside vendors".

Thomson Reuters Foundation

"It took me 30 minutes to get the shot. We couldn't have asked for more."

- Businessman Jayesh Mantri, who got vaccinated with his wife at a camp for residents of their apartment block in Mumbai

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