Nearly 450 daily wage workers were vaccinated last week at a building site in Bengaluru. They didn't have to miss a day of work, and they didn't have to go without the COVID-19 vaccine. Before returning home, the workers registered themselves in a makeshift medical camp and spent around 35 minutes apiece under observation.
The camp was organized by MyVacc, a city-based business, in collaboration with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Dr. Sveta Agarwal, Dr. Amit Agarwal, and Prasun Bansal founded the organization in December 2020 to provide immunizations to populations that do not have access to internet scheduling. Slum-dwellers, wage earners, cab drivers, domestic workers, the homeless, inhabitants of nursing facilities, and others are among them. The drives are now taking place in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune.
The fear of coronavirus, according to Dr. Sveta, a paediatrician, hampered non-COVID-19 immunization programs for diseases including polio, Hepatitis A and B, and flu vaccines. MyVacc was created to provide non-COVID immunizations to people in the privacy of their own homes.
“We began offering people online consultations and setting immunization dates. We trained a team of 100 individuals, including nurses, technicians, and doctors, to provide immunizations to adults and children at home while taking all necessary safeguards. As the number of cases increased in the second wave, we sought to emphasize the relevance of the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly among those without money or internet access. We also assist those without identification cards, such as the homeless,” said the organization’s founder.
MyVacc's professional team visits many locations throughout the city to identify areas where vaccination camps can be put up. The city municipal corporation contributes by contacting residents and informing them of the time and date of the event.
“We have on-the-spot registrations because we are targeting economically disadvantaged sectors. They can simply go in and get vaccinated. Domestic assistance, fruit vendors, rickshaw drivers, and other folks who don't have the option of working from home have all paid us a visit. They must interact with people on a regular basis as part of their employment. They can be carriers if they are infected. Our team checks them for any side effects after they receive the immunisation. We began in March and had successfully completed 40 camps by the end of the month. This gave us the assurance we needed to expand our activities. Dr. Sveta adds, "We also have a mobile immunization team that visits senior age facilities."
The organization claims to have vaccinated over 6,000 people in three cities, with an average of 300 people immunized per day. The daily average was lower in the last couple of days due to a decrease in vaccination availability.
The organization hopes to vaccinate 3,000 people each day once the supply increases and to expand its operations to Hyderabad and Chennai.
Dr. Sveta emphasizes that the vaccination programs are only for persons who work in the unorganized sector and that employers should assist their employees in getting the vaccine if possible. If at all possible, even households hiring domestic help should schedule online slots instead of using MyVacc's services.