The increased virulence and transmissibility of the coronavirus in the second wave have blown away some of the vaccine hesitancy that was apparent a few months ago, said officials of vaccination centres and public health experts.

Some of the private hospitals that have resumed vaccination after weeks are seeing a sharp rise in the number of prospective recipients turning up for the jab. Also, the demand from corporates to get their employees vaccinated has grown manifold.

Covid vaccination for senior citizens and people above 45 with comorbidities had started on March 1. On April 1, everyone above 45 became eligible for the Covid shot. Since May 1, everyone above 18 has been eligible for vaccination.

A private vaccination centre in south Calcutta would administer 100 doses every day in March and the first half of April. On an average 10 to 15 people who had booked slots would not turn up.

“But since the first week of May everyone with a booked slot has been turning up,” said the unit head at the centre.

“Vaccine hesitancy is gone and there is a role reversal. Now people are desperate to get vaccinated because of the fear caused by the second wave. Earlier, even a number of healthcare workers, including doctors, had not taken the vaccine,” said public health expert Abhijit Chowdhury.

He cited two reasons why vaccine hesitancy is gone. “This time, the number of deaths and the degree of criticality are much more compared with the first wave. This has caused fear in the minds of many. Also, over a period of time, people have observed that the adverse reactions of Covid vaccines are minimal. This has gone a long way in encouraging people to get vaccinated,” Chowdhury said.

He said more younger people were getting infected during the second wave compared with the first, a trend that has left corporate houses worried about their workforce.

At the RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, 300 to 350 people would book slots every day before May 1. The hospital resumed vaccination on Friday afternoon after several weeks.

On Monday, it administered more than 1,000 doses. Earlier, it would have one vaccination site, but now the hospital is running three sites.

“Of the 1,000-odd recipients, 88 per cent were in the 18-44 age group. All had taken their first dose,” said R. Venkatesh, director, eastern region, Narayana Health, of which the RN Tagore hospital is the flagship unit.

Venkatesh said the demand from corporate houses for vaccination had shot up. “There is a demand for 30,000 doses from corporates over the next month, at our hospital as well as workplaces,” he said.

Belle Vue Clinic received 6,000 doses of Covishield on Sunday night and would resume vaccination on Tuesday, said an official.

The hospital was earlier administering doses on its Loudon Street premises. It has now rented a bigger space to accommodate more recipients. "We have taken a building of La Martiniere for Boys. More people will come for the shot,” said Pradip Tondon, the CEO of Belle Vue.

He said 3,000 slots had been booked for the first five days. “Around 500 people will get the second dose and the remaining 2,500 are their family members,” Tondon said.

Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals used to administer 700 to 900 doses every day on an average before May 1. Now, the number has gone up to more than 3,000, including off-site vaccinations, said an official.

“The demand from corporations is very high, about 50,000 doses every week,” the official said. The latest vaccination policy of the Centre that came into effect on May 1 requires private vaccination centres to buy doses directly from the manufacturers.

The Telegraph has repeatedly reported that government as well as private hospitals and nursing homes are not getting enough doses.

AMRI Hospitals received about 1,500 calls from individuals and corporate houses on Monday about vaccination. “The demand is huge. We need more doses to cater to the demand,” said an official of the hospital.