Mumbaikars above the age of 18 years visited the Kohinoor Square building at Dadar (West) on Wednesday morning, after a fake WhatsApp message said that anybody who is above the age of 18 years can get the vaccine jab.
City’s first drive-in vaccination centre was started in the parking lot of this building on Tuesday. The centre has been set up for senior citizens and differently abled persons, who would drive into the parking lot from one entry, receive a vaccine while being in the car and move out through a different exit point. Apart from the drive-in services, the Kohinoor facility also has a walk-in set-up where beneficiaries above 45 years of age can get their vaccine by walking in.
On the first day, 1,295 beneficiaries received the dose at this facility who came in 417 vehicles. However, from late Tuesday evening, a WhatsApp message was being circulated stating beneficiaries of all the age groups would get the vaccine at this centre and they need not be required to pre-register their appointment.
Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner and in-charge of G-North (GN) ward under whose jurisdiction the facility has been set up said that during Wednesday morning, few young people have visited the facility to inquire about the process. He also asserted that the entire Kohinoor facility is dedicated for citizens above 45 years only.
“Some people got confused and approached the walk-in centre that has been set up at Kohinoor, after knowing that this one is a dedicated facility for senior citizens and differently abled, they left,” Dighavkar told FPJ. Since Tuesday evening, Dighavkar had been active in his social media sharing screenshot of the circulated message and appealing to people to not believe it as the message is fake.
“Only beneficiaries above 45 years are eligible to get either of their doses in Kohinoor facility and walk-in registration is also allowed here. The drive-in facility is only available for specially abled and immobile senior citizens,” Dighavkar asserted.
“We received the messages in our family WhatsApp groups and also tried calling the nearby war rooms, but after getting no response we visited the place and found out that they are vaccinating beneficiaries above 45 years age only,” said Aman Sharma a Mahim resident.
“We came to verify the fact whether they are vaccinating everyone or only senior citizens, it’s good that they have kept the facility open for senior citizens only or else everybody would have made a beeline with their cars,” said Vinayak Shinde.
Source link