Prioritise Vaccination For Those With Prior Appointments: High Court To Maharashtra Government

COVID-19 Vaccine India: The Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra government to ensure that those with prior appointments were not made to wait in queue for long hours at the vaccination centres.

The Bombay High Court in an interim order on Thursday said the Maharashtra government must prioritise inoculating people who had prior appointments for vaccination against COVID-19 through the CoWIN portal. A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni said the state must first administer the available vaccines to those with prior confirmed appointments, and administer only the surplus doses to people who took "on the spot or walk-in" slots for vaccinations. This system would streamline the vaccination drive in the state, given that there is a shortage of vaccine stocks currently, the high court said. It directed the state to ensure that those with prior appointments were not made to wait in queue for long hours at the vaccination centres.