Mumbai: In the midst of vaccine shortage, there’s a new hassle. Potential beneficiaries with appointments are being sent back home without jabs, only to receive auto-generated messages from the centralised Co-WIN portal about completion of vaccination, leading to panic and confusion among citizens. Take, for instance, Sunita Madhur, 37, who, after trying for two days finally got a slot for vaccination at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) jumbo centre on May 9. She reached the centre by 4 pm, and after waiting in the queue for an hour was informed that vials for those above the age of 18 years got over. She, along with many others in the same age category, was asked to try again the next day and sent back home.

But on reaching her l home, she got a message stating completion of her first Covishield shot

The message also contained a link through which she could get the final vaccination certificate.

“There is so much harassment. We are unnecessarily exposing ourselves to contracting the virus at overcrowded centres just to be sent back home. Also, due to this technical glitch, I can’t even book another slot,” she said. In another incident, S Ramanathan, 61, went to Cama Hospital on May 9 to take his second shot of Covishield. After waiting for three hours, around 3.15 pm, he couldn’t get the shot as the vials got over. But in the evening, he got a similar message about the completion of the second dose. Later, when he logged into the Co-WIN portal, it showed that he had completed both the shots.

“I was extremely confused and didn’t know what to do. I called BMC’s helpline number for guidance but didn’t get much help. Yesterday, I visited the hospital again and explained the technical glitch. Thankfully, they understood and gave the shot,” he said. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has informed the central health department about the technical glitch.  Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, said such a technical glitch has been observed in a few cases. “It is not in our hands as the error is in Co-WIN, so we have informed the central government about it. People who are witnessing such issues should visit the centres again immediately and explain the issue.” People across the state are experiencing a similar situation. Shruti Nair, 33, a resident of Pune went to get her first shot at rural Kanhe Phata hospital around 9.30 is on May 5. Later, those public above 18 years were referred to another vaccination centre. But still didn’t get the shot. However, like many others, she also received a message of completion of the first dose. Now, to get the vaccine, she had to re-register on the Co-WIN portal again with a different number and identify proof. “When I tried to book the slot again, I was shown June 2 as my next appointment date for my second shot. I didn’t have any other option but to create a new profile. But I will wait until the state has enough vials, as I don’t want to go through the same harassment,” she said.