#VaxOnWheels: Drive-through vaccination kicks off in NCR

NCR saw its first series of drive-through vaccination camps recently – at the City Centre Mall in Gurgaon on Friday followed by one at CyberHub on Sunday, and the third at the Mall of India in Noida on Monday. Organised by an e-commerce company Park+ in association with the local administration, the two drives in Gurgaon were for people aged above 45 getting their second shot and the one in Noida was for those above 45 getting their first dose.Those who managed to get the jab walk us through the drive-through process:

'It felt safer, smoother’
Sumit Kumar, a Noida resident who took his parents to get vaccinated on Monday, told us, “I felt this (drive-through vaccination) was safer than going to a hospital, as my parents didn’t have to get out of the car, which minimised the risk of infection. The process was quite smooth, and took barely five minutes.”

Gurgaon-based surgeon Dr Virender Yadav spoke of how such innovations can help the already-overburdened medical infrastructure. “Such solutions will help individuals get vaccinated from the safety of their
vehicle while drastically reducing crowding within over-burdened hospitals,” he explained

‘Vaccination process was easy, but getting a slot was a challenge’
Noida sector 41 resident Ashutosh Arora said, “I was able to book a slot for myself through the CoWIN app, but as soon as I refreshed it to book one for my father, all the slots were gone. That was a challenge.”
Many citizens at the venue seemed confused about the process. Some mistook it for a walk-in vaccination drive, and were disappointed over being turned away. Rohan Khatri, who went to the Gurgaon drive on Sunday, said, “It was partly my mistake as I missed reading all the information and reached there with my parents, thinking they were offering walk-in vaccinations. It was disappointing that they couldn't get the shot. I think the administration should do more of these drives with walk-ins too because booking a slot through the app is the most difficult part right now.”