My first jab

And the funny turn of events that unfolded!

Today, on 11th June 2021, I received my first COVID-19 vaccination shot.

Currently stationed in the outskirts, some ~30 Kms from the heart of Kolkata city, a vaccination slot is hard to get by. The upmarket society where I live is guarded like a fortress, with not even delivery guys being allowed to enter. The management had toughened up and the Security guards, who were once pretty lax while wearing no mask at all, are now wearing 2 layers of face mask.

Fortunately, there were hardly 4 positive cases in the entirety of the last 1.5 years. No sooner had the community received a MyGate notification that one of the residents had gotten infected than the whole community quiets down and the society looks more like a deserted park with birds chirping and dogs barking infrequently.

No soul leaves his/her house, and the maids tiptoe around as if they are being watched. Neighbors wave at each other animatedly from their verandahs, pretending to understand the other and nodding a wide smile before heading back to their rooms to continue watching whatever soap operas they were binge-watching earlier. Sometimes it gets so still, that everyone distinctly hears a lady singing “Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Paaa-Daaaa-Neeeee-Saaaaaa” thumbing on her harmonium. Initially, I used to get startled due to these increasingly high-pitched notes, but I got used to them later on. Other times, like at 6:30 PM sharp, one could hear a bunch of conch shells being blown thrice to greet the evening.

Come June 2021, a building management personnel informed the entire housing community of a vaccination drive. It was to be held in a clubhouse of another society nearby. I signed up and paid for a vaccine slot. I was relieved that I got a slot, and was pretty excited for the D-Day.

I woke up earlier than usual. Didn’t scroll through social media. Double-masked-up and headed straight to the other society!

The other society had twice the number of guards than usual, and they directed me and the others to the clubhouse where the vaccination drive was being conducted.

The personnel there were very professional. They had neat direction markers so everyone could follow the directions with minimal conversation of whereabouts.

I was led to the main hall for my 10:30 AM slot for the vaccination. Lo and Behold, there were 50 others all seated neatly in chairs, 6 in a row in 10 rows, kept at 2-meter distance apart from each other. I was asked to occupy a seat.

The drive was supposed to start at 10:30 and the minutes were painfully clocking away to 11:30. A lady coordinator was busily shouting instructions to fellow coordinators, all while the rest of us were slowly getting irritated. No amount of lowering the AC temperatures was helping calm anyone down. Some started taking pictures at the drive where a cut-out board for “I’m vaccinated” was put up.

There was a moment during the one-hour long wait when one of the members coughed hoarsely, and when that happened the whole room suddenly fell silent. Anxious glances were exchanged among acquaintances and family members, and one could feel the palpable tension felt by everyone else to get out from the venue as soon as possible.

At 11:30, the front row members were guided to go to the next room where the registration details were getting tallied before the shot was to be administered. As soon as that happened, the lady coordinator asked the rest of us, seated in the hall, to realign ourselves “like-musical-chair”.

I looked at the person sitting next to me and he, in turn, looked at me quizzically, and then we both saw what was happening in front of us and frowned. The others hurriedly occupied the seats in front of them — some distraught that others, who were earlier behind them in the order, ran up to occupy front-row seats, thus wasting the former’s time. It felt as if we were all in some live version of a “Snakes and Ladders” game. Some of us didn’t want to be a part of that bloodshed.

The ensuing chaos made a few in the crowd question the lady’s decision to conduct a drive as important as this “like-musical-chair”. Her colleagues immediately came to her rescue and started orchestrating the arrangement, only this time the members were instructed to proceed one row at a time, and the drive went smoothly thereafter. Some quick feedback redressal that.

My turn came half-hour later. I was led to the registration desk and through that the vaccination chamber. There was a minor inconvenience as I almost forgot my secret Cowin PIN, but I heaved a sigh of relief as I quickly remembered and the data matched before they let me through — else I would have had to wait for another 3 hours as I had to go back and fetch my PIN and re-do the whole exercise. I don’t carry my mobile phone when I run short errands like these to avoid the hassle of sanitizing the device.

The vaccination chamber was shielded with 2 medical representatives administering the shots. When I was summoned, I sat down beside one of the representatives and was asked to look the other way as the lady inserted the vaccination needle in my arms. She, then, suddenly spooked me with her eerily heavy voice as she started to whisper — ” Don’t eat Pani-Puris or pickles or any fruits for the next week! Also, swallow a paracetamol tablet during the night!”. I looked at her — almost thanking her — while she wore the most unattached expression I had ever seen and ushered me to go sit outside with the others so my needle wound would slowly dry.

Outside, as I was leaving, I seemed to be the only one looking for hand sanitizers, the others were peacefully filing away.

Thus, I received my first jab. It was uneventful, yes, but for the musical chair event. But, jokes apart, I feel privileged to receive the shot amidst the chaos the country is going through right now. Love and thoughts for my countrymen as we breeze through this pandemic. Hope everyone gets vaccinated and we revert to normal — but that will take a while, I suppose. Live Long and Prosper!

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