Mumbai: Dahisar vaccination centre shocks those who came for COVID-19 jab

For Alka Parekh 59 Sunday seemed the ideal day to take the vaccine as she is a working woman But when she landed at the Dahisar vaccination centre she was deeply disappointed to find that it was closed Many other citizens were left disappointed and some had even booked a timeslot for the dayForum and Manoj Kotecha said they have to again make plans for their child next SundayThe BMC had decided to keep all vaccination centres open on Sundays to boost the drive But according to the dean of the Dahisar vaccination centre it was closed due to maintenance work Even though the BMC had been told about it still kept timeslots open and hence citizens had booked appointmentsOffice goers upsetldquoWe know that rest is needed for a day or two after vaccination as it has some sideeffects So taking the vaccine on Sunday works best for me as I will have to take one less holiday from work But it turns out I have to wait for another week nowrdquo said Parekh who had come to the Dahisar centre with her sisterinlaw Manisha Parekh 55 Both working women were looking forward to the Sunday vaccine doseBhavesh Trivedi said he was told to be there on Monday or next Sunday PicsSatej ShindeForum 48 and Manoj Kotecha 50 a couple from Dahisar East had booked a timeslot for afternoon on Sunday as they too work But they were shocked to see the deserted premises with a notice on the gate ndash Sunday closed ldquoOur appointment was booked long ago maybe a week back If it was closed on Sunday they should have just not showed it as available when we were booking the appointment online We could have booked at some other vaccination centre and put our Sunday to use insteadrdquo said Forum adding that they had to plan their Sunday properly to make time for the vaccine and now they will have to again make arrangements for their child next SundayBhavesh Trivedi 47 a resident of Borivli too had booked an appointment last week ldquoNow they are telling us to visit tomorrow and they will accommodate us But there will be people who have already booked appointments for Monday Then there will be an overlaprdquo said TrivedilsquoSome miscommunicationrsquoDahisar vaccination centre Dean Dr Deepa Shriyam said ldquoThere was some miscommunication The fact that we will not be able to keep the centre open for vaccination on Sunday was informed to BMC Yet the centre was shown in the list of options of vaccine centresrdquoAdding that it is important for her to ensure a safe and proper medical facility for all she added It was not feasible to keep the centre open for Sunday as we had some maintenance work to completeWith the number of patients increasing constantly we had to make proper arrangements for the vaccination premises so that it will be a smooth and safe experience for citizens The centre will be open from next Sunday Those who were wrongly given appointments for today will be accommodated next Sunday or even during the weekrdquoMinor fire at Dahisar COVID Care CentreA fire broke out at the COVID Care Centre at Dahisar on Sunday afternoon As a fire brigade vehicle was nearby it was doused immediately and there was no casualty reportedIt is suspected that an electrical shortcircuit caused the fire PicSatej ShindeAround 50 patients were shifted from G ward of the isolation facility to a safer location The cause of the fire is suspected to be electrical shortcircuitThe fire broke out at around 12 pm and was doused by 1209 pmldquoThe security staff used fire extinguishers and soon fire brigade personnel used water to douse it No one was injured However there was loss of part of the infrastructurerdquo said a fire official