Vaccination of Iranians Over 80 Years Old; “It’s Chaos and Crowded”
News of vaccination for elderly people over 80 years old in Iran was announced, but there is still no sign of invitation text messages. Now Saeed Namaki, the health minister, has ordered that this group should be vaccinated upon referral without prior appointment.
Iran newspaper reports on the vaccination of people over 80 years old: “It’s chaos and crowded. No order whatsoever. Some elderly people complaining and protesting get dismissive responses, with no guarantee whether there will be vaccine later or not. At 11 a.m. in front of a health center in eastern Tehran, there is turmoil. Men and women, old and young are standing in closed lines in front of the door.”
According to the news network report: “Saeed Namaki in a letter to the heads of medical universities across the country emphasized the need for accurate public information about the details of public COVID-19 vaccination in groups over 80 years old, and ordered that if these citizens refer without prior appointment, they should also be vaccinated.”
The coverage of such news in the media led to the formation of long queues in front of health centers, especially in Tehran.
Apparently, information about elderly people is supposed to be collected through the electronic health file and inquiry from the civil registration office, and then they will be contacted.
However, some elderly people say they have not had any previous visits to health centers and are not sure whether their information exists in the electronic health file at the Ministry of Health so they can be contacted, or even many of them may not have a mobile phone number registered in their names.
Iran newspaper writes: “Families of elderly people are not very hopeful about these promises, and before waiting to receive text messages or phone calls and launching the health system, they have taken matters into their own hands and are searching for coronavirus vaccine in every part of the capital.”
After 10 Days, Still No Text Message
One citizen told Iran newspaper: “It has been more than a week since vaccination for people over 80 years old was announced, but so far no one has contacted my mother or sent her a text message. I heard from one of my friends that his father went to the health center without a text message or phone call, and after 3 to 4 hours it was his turn. I am forced in this coronavirus situation to hire a car and take my mother around the streets to find out where exactly we will get vaccinated.”
Jaafar Sadiq Tabrizzi, head of the health network management center at the Ministry of Health, says there are one million and 147 thousand elderly people over 80 years old in the country. While coronavirus vaccination for people aged 75 to 80 is supposed to start from next week, many people over 80 years old have not yet been vaccinated.
Nevertheless, Alireza Raisi, spokesman for the Corona Headquarters, assures: “People over 80 years old should not worry about their vaccine quota being consumed, as their quota is preserved and set aside.”
Slow Vaccination Progress
According to the Ministry of Health announcement, so far one million, 181 thousand and 241 people have received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine and 244 thousand and 526 people have also received the second dose. The total vaccines administered in Iran has reached one million, 425 thousand and 767 doses.
The slow pace of vaccination comes as, according to officially announced statistics, 18 thousand and 409 new COVID-19 patients were identified in the past 24 hours, and the total number of coronavirus patients in the country reached two million, 610 thousand and 18 people.
During the same period, 338 more people lost their lives, and the total number of deaths from this disease reached 73 thousand and 906 people.
Source: DW
