Less than 90 healthcare workers get second dose of Covid vaccine in city

Dr R S Wadia, 85, among those who got final jab of vaccine.

3 min readPuneFeb 15, 2021 08:21 PM IST

Beneficiaries receive the second dose of Covishield Vaccine on Monday at Kamala Nehru Hospital. (Express photo by Ashish Kale)

Dr R S Wadia, 85-year-old neurophysician at the Ruby Hall Clinic, was among the first ones to get the second and final jab of the Covid-19 vaccine in Pune on Monday. “From the time of smallpox, all vaccines have been useful. It just makes good sense to take the vaccine,” Dr Wadia said and appealed against any vaccine hesitancy.

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Dr R S Wadia received the jab at Ruby Hall and was monitored for the mandatory half hour post vaccination. (Express photo)

“We need to keep our country and the world safe,” he said.

The process of administering the second dose of the vaccine againat corornavirus infection started at various centres in the city after the inoculation drive was launched on January 16. But at a majority of hospitals with vaccination centres, the second and final dose could not be administered due to glitches in the CoWin digital platform.

Read | 85-year-old neurophysician among first to get second dose of Covid jab

In Pune Municipal Corporation areas, across 28 vaccination centres, less than 90 healthcare workers got the second and final dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The software was not functional at various hospitals when the vaccination drive had started on January 16 and according to the system, it will now reflect when the second dose should be administered, said Dr H K Sale, executive director of Noble Hospital. Hospitals such as Noble, Bharti and Deenanath Mangeshkar could not even start the process of administering the second dose of the vaccine due to software-related glitches.

Meanwhile, Dr Wadia, who was monitored for the mandatory half-an-hour post vaccination, later attended his outpatient department. On how he manages this hectic schedule, he said, “My students and patients are what keep me engaged.”

Dr Manisha Karmarkar, chief operating officer of Ruby Hall Clinic, said initially they were supposed to start the vaccination on February 13. However, officially, the second dose was administered on Monday and Dr Wadia was among the first ones to get the jab.

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Overall, 3,500 persons were registered for getting the vaccine shot at Ruby Hall Clinic, of which 2,400 have been administered the vaccine.

At Ruby Hall Clinic, 23 healthcare workers were given the second dose while at Sassoon General Hospital, a total of 37 got the dose. Kamala Nehru Hospital administered the second dose of the vaccine to 11 healthcare workers.

Dr Ashish Bharti, chief medical officer of the Pune Municipal Corporation, said technical experts were working to resolve software-related issues.

Serum Institute of India Chairman Cyrus Poonawalla and CEO Adar Poonawalla had visited the Covid-19 vaccination centre at Ruby Hall Clinic and observed the roll-out of the vaccine. The Poonawallas had visited the centre on Friday and later Adar Poonawalla had tweeted about the “excellent set-up”.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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