Second dose of Covid vaccine to mom

 Getting my mom inoculated with the first dose of Covid 19 vaccine, was seamless when compared with the administration of second dose. For the first dose, I just booked her schedule through cowin website and took her to the concerned hospital, got her injected and we were back home but it wasn’t the case with her second dose.

As my mom’s second vaccination’s dose date was approaching, I tried to book a schedule for her through Cowin website but I was not able to find the schedule for her. This rang an alarm bell and I knew getting the second dose will not a cake walk. So I tried looking out for slot every now and then but the outcome remained the same.

Finally one day, I got a schedule and we were too happy about it. This hospital was little far from our place, still we decided to go ahead. When we reached the hospital after so many struggles, we were informed that vaccine is out of stock. I was like, what’s next because both mom and me, were clueless now.

We were back home disappointed and I was trying to figure out ways to get my mom vaccinated. I was even filled with guilt too, as I was the one who persuaded her to get vaccinated. I was scared about any adverse effect of vaccine, if administered beyond the stipulated time. Mom too was little worried and anxious and kept checking with me about the status of her next schedule.

Then one day we read in paper that for second dose, we have to get in touch with our ASHA worker, as online booking has been barred now. Mom immediately called her and she too informed mom that vaccine is out of stock now but she will inform us when vaccine is available.

One day while checking vaccine schedule for my mom, I saw the hospital near our home has been fully booked for vaccination. Immediately I called the ASHA worker and informed her about it, she told stock has just arrived and she will book my mom for the next available slot. After a day, I called the ASHA worker again and she informed that she has scheduled my mom’s vaccination appointment. I was little relaxed but was not too amused by this news. I wanted to enjoy, only after getting my mom inoculated with the vaccine, any celebrations before that was meaningless.

The date allotted for my mom’s vaccination was during the stringent lockdown announced in the state of Kerala. Though the government circular, made it clear the people going for vaccination will be not stopped, still ground reality couldn’t be judged sitting at home. That was another worry for me, second dosage was in the midst of so many worries, unlike the first shot, which was pretty cool.

A day before vaccination one of our neighbor uncle came to me and said he along with his wife would like to accompany us for vaccination. As they too got the same date and the center was also the same, they were also due for their second dose.

 

On vaccination day, we all left in my car for the vaccination center with all relevant documents to substantiate our claim for vaccination. This time my mom didn’t receive an sms confirming her vaccination schedule, so I was bit wary whether cops will allow us to go to the center.

As expected, cops stopped us and uncle told them, we are going for vaccination and they allowed us to travel, first hurdle of the path was cleared. Vaccination center was crowded, I didn’t expect so many people there, especially during lockdown.

My mom, uncle and aunty went inside the center and asked me to stay in the car only. Fortunately I got a shaded place to park the car and waited there till for almost three hours till my mom, uncle and aunty returned back, after being inoculated. My feeling at that time was, I have won a big war against all odds.  Getting the second shot of vaccine for my mom was, no less than a war for me and my mom.

Before making their way to the car, I sanitized their hands and checked their phones for the sms notification, intimating about the second dose. It was important for us, to show to the cops on road, who might ask for proof of vaccination.

Our way back home was pretty smooth, though cops stopped us but they didn’t ask much and allowed us to go. Back home after shower, I downloaded the final vaccination certificate for my mom on her phone and asked her to keep it handy.

Mental health during Lockdown

 

Talking about mental health has always been taboo topic among masses, as the outlook of society towards it is demeaning. That’s the reason, people seeking counseling from professionals, try to keep it a secret. But the lockdown and the subsequent quarantine has changed, the perception of people towards mental health and topics related to it.

Now the word lockdown itself, gives so much pressure to people to people that, they don’t know, what to do next? Lockdown comes with a silence in our environment, the busy streets suddenly become dull and void, which it give shivers down the spine. I think it’s the silence that is more intimidating than anything else.

During lockdown last year, I was all alone in Bangalore in my flat and was too scared about what will happen next to me. There were times, I thought, I won’t be able to sail through the pandemic and I might die all alone in my flat, away from my parents. That was the time, when I missed my parents the most. My second biggest fear was, if something happens to my parents, who will take care of them? In totality lockdown has forced people to develop lot fear, which they never anticipated coming their way.

The notification issued by government and its implementation on ground leads to numerous confusion, which again adds to another fear amongst law abiding citizens. They are confused about whom to follow, the notifications or the ground reality. These confusion leads to a storm of posts on various social media platforms. This new fears gets added to the already existing list of fears among masses.

Last year I came across many videos of violence and brutality on masses when they ventured out, in some cases to buy essentials. I must say, some clips were so brutal that force us to think ‘Does humanity still exist in this world? Such incidents engulf so much fear in the mind of people that they decide to stay indoors, even in case of emergencies and also contemplated about committing suicide, courtesy there helpless situation. Who should be held responsible for such deaths?

Lockdowns are usually implemented for 2 weeks initially and then extended further, depending on the situation. These unprecedented announcements also take a toll on the mental well-being of individuals because people aren’t usually prepared for an extension. Some people would have planned for some events like wedding, engagement, job relocation etc after the lockdown. An extensive lockdown will play spoil sport to their plans, which could be hamper them financially, personally and also in terms of their career. Such situations, give tremendous psychological pressure to individual, which can lead to major health issues too.

Many people have lost their jobs due to lockdown and the ones who have retained their jobs, have to undergo pay cut and had adapt to work from home culture. Fear of losing job is one of the biggest fear many employees are countering on a daily basis. Because it’s not easy to find a new job in this pandemic, hence people are forced to stick to their job, irrespective of the situation at work.  Families are dependent on the earnings of working people, in the absence of it, life will be miserable for people.  There have been instances where people were left jobless and took their life due to their inability to look after their family.

 Our laptops, tablets and smart phones become dearer to us during lockdown, as these are the only means available to us for communicating to the outside world. God forbid, if any these devices go for a toss, how will people keep themselves engaged during these tiring times? During lockdown most of the laptop and mobile repair shops will be closed, so people will be left with no option but to stay home till lockdown is lifted. In the absence of any source of entertainment, people might slip into depression which is dangerous especially during lockdown.

In totality, it is the masses who suffer the most during lockdowns, which can have an adverse risk in their mental health. Many a times people will not understand that there mental health is being impacted because of lot of other things going in their mind. This carelessness usually cost them dearly later.

I have just pointed out few things, which affects the mental health of people during lockdown, these are based on mine and my friend’s experiences.  And I think every time we under a lockdown irrespective of the location, feeling will remain the same.

Vaccinating my mom with Covid 19 vaccine

 

We all waited with bated breath for Covid 19 vaccine from the moment,  Corona was termed as  pandemic and we all went into covid inducted lockdown. Scientists across globe worked relentlessly to find a suitable vaccine candidate, to temporarily arrest the virus and give some relief to people. Usually vaccines are produced after researching for years but with covid 19, scientist didn’t had the luxury of time with them, as they had to come out with the vaccine in the shortest possible time with some efficacy too.

I was always glued to the news of vaccine, as I thought vaccine would end the pandemic and we will be able to lead a normal life. So when the news of vaccine reached my ears, I was over joyed, finally there was something for us to fight the virus. Best part was my parents were eligible to be vaccinated in the first phase only. As they fell under the vulnerable category and I was always worried about them.

I was behind my parents to get vaccinated but they were reluctant as they want to see the impact on vaccinated people before taking a call. I also wanted to be with my parents when they get vaccinated, to be on the safer, in case of mild side effects. My mom volunteered first for vaccination, kudos to her. I immediately booked an appointment for her through Cowin website, before she changes her mind. I must say the registration process was too quick and user friendly.

On the day of vaccination we reached the vaccination center on time, we had opted for a government facility, here in Kerala. There was huge queue at the center, as some people had reached the place for spot registration too along with online registration. Since we had registered online, we were directed to queue which was smaller when compared to on spot registration one.

At the counter, my mom’s credentials were verified one more time and she was asked to move to the waiting area for vaccination. I was asked to leave the facility and wait outside as family members or attendants are not allowed inside the vaccination room. So I left counter and waited outside for my mom to come out from the exit door.

After 45 minutes, I saw my mom coming out of the hospital. I immediately went to her and enquired about the vaccination along with her health, she said, she is fine. Then we drove back home, first thing we did after reaching home was to dip our clothes in water and then head for shower. We were at a hospital for more than an hour and we didn’t want to take any kind of risk. We had already kept things handy before going to hospital, so things were pretty easy for us.

I checked my mom’s phone after we were little relaxed and noticed that the moment, she was inoculated, a sms was sent to her phone about the vaccine she was injected with. Then I logged in to cowin website again and noticed, my mom has been issued a partial vaccination certificate too. When I downloaded it, I saw it had full details about her vaccine, including the name of the staff who inoculated her. I didn’t face any difficulty in inoculating my mom with the first dose of the vaccine, hope the legacy continues for 2^nd dose too.

That was my experience of getting my mom vaccinated against the novel corona virus, I hope dad to agree for vaccination soon and he get his shots also. Currently, the only way we can protect our parents is by getting them vaccinated, there will be resistance from their side but we as kids should convince them and if possible accompany them for vaccination. Our parents need us the most especially during this pandemic time, I realized it, when I came to be with them.