After taking into consideration all the information, disinformation and misinformation, we decided to go for the jab and head the walk-in coronavirus vaccination centre set up in the Expo Centre Karachi by the Sindh government, which is being run 24 hours a day.

Obviously, nobody wants to stand in long queues in these hot summer days, so we chose after 12 midnight’s time and a working day to avoid rush and tough weather conditions.

In the first few days when the vaccination centre was inaugurated by the government in the Expo Centre, our friends who visited there, told us about elaborate arrangements without any rush of the public. When my wife and I reached the gate of the expo, we realised that we were not alone. We drove for several minutes to find a parking space in the jam-packed parking lot of the Expo Centre. Luckily, we found one unexpectedly near the exit gate being vacated by a dark-colour new modelled sedan.

The large number of vehicles parked there gave us the idea what to expect next.

It was 12.45am and what we saw was an overwhelming number of people standing on the tarmac in a very long queue waiting for their turn to enter the hall no 4 of the Expo Centre to get vaccinated. By the way, there was only one long single queue in which all the people were standing. There was no separate line for senior citizens.

In the line, there were elderly people, middle-aged people, and young people, and there were very young people as well.

It looked as if everyone has arrived there to get vaccinated.

The long queue was depressing, but the people standing in the queue seemed energised and excited. They looked cheerful and confident. The people were calm and composed. There was no panic. They were chatting with one another in a relaxed environment. We stood in the queue and waited for our turn.

The gentleman standing in front of us was a senior citizen. He came for the booster shot needed to bolster immunity against the disease.

Responding to a question, he said he developed fever after five days of the first shot of the vaccine. However, he said he was fine now and came there for the second jab.

People were discussing these sorts of things standing there and step by step moving forward towards to the hall entrance.

And then our moment came. After almost two hours we entered the hall where diligent scouts, some clad in khaki and some in black, greeted us at the door of the hall.

After entering the great grand air-conditioned hall, we were first asked to take seats lined up to several desks in different columns. The seats were being regularly emptied by the occupants who were moving ahead one by one to the next counter.

At the desk, first, a paramedic was checking people’s blood pressure. He noted our name, age, blood pressure and asked us about any history of allergy, and previous medication.

After this stage, he gave us a slip and sent us to the next counter where another official was seated with a laptop and printer on his table. He asked us to show him our Computerised National Identity Cards. He then entered our CNIC number into his computer and our details appeared on his screen. Actually we had gone for the vaccination without any previous registration as the government had announced that the walk-in vaccination of people had been started.

So, our details appeared on the computer screen and we were given a printout of the Sindh health department Covid-19 vaccination card.

It showed our names, genders, CNIC numbers, mobile phone numbers, vaccine name, vaccine batch number, vaccination date, and the second dose administration date, which is to be given by the vaccinator in the next step.

Then we were asked to proceed to any of the cubicles we found empty set up behind the counter in separate rows.

There were many of them where people were being vaccinated by the paramedical staff. We found a cubicle vacant where a staff member greeted us. We sat there. He first looked at our vaccination cards and checked the vaccine name.

He then took out a new syringe packet, tore opened the plastic. Then he opened a blue icebox from which he took out a vaccine vial. It was a Chinese made.

He said a single vial is for two persons. He filled the required amount of vaccine in the syringe very carefully and administered it to me first. Then he took out another new syringe, filled it and gave the jab to my wife. That’s it. We were vaccinated against Covid-19. He asked us to go to the post-vaccination waiting area and be seated there for half an hour.

When I asked him if I could take the emptied vaccine vial with me, he refused politely. After vaccination we went to the post-vaccination waiting area.

It was a wide open space where people were relaxing and after spending some time, going home one after another.

We sat there. And after exactly half an hour came out of the hall. We were feeling fine after the vaccination.

Now there was no more rush outside the hall and the queue had diminished.

Let’s hope and pray that this coronavirus also vanishes like the long queue.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2021