In a bid to get more people vaccinated faster, various bodies have started arranging for large groups of people to be inoculated, now that the 45-plus age group can avail of the facility.

One such was Purbachal’s St Francis Xavier School, that ferried almost 30 of its staff members, by school bus, to Apollo Clinic at City Centre on Tuesday.

“Our teaches have been working so hard through the pandemic, teaching online despite network issues and checking papers on tiny phone screens without a complaint. This was the least we could do for them,” says the school’s secretary and administrator, Ajay Chopra.

Out of the eligible candidates, a few backed out as they had already taken their shot, had previous health issues or decided to skip as they had invigilation duty for ISC practical exams the next day. In case they got fever after the jab, these teachers would not have been able to come to invigilate.

The charges for the jab, as well as the second one a month later, are being borne by the school.

It’s not just education or corporate sector employees that are being offered jabs in bulk. An NGO is ferrying some 100 slum-dwellers of Duttabad for the purpose too.

“The idea came from my daughter (actress) Ritabhari (Chakraborty) and her friend Rahul Dasgupta,” says Satarupa Sanyal, film director and president of the NGO Scud Society for Social Communication.

“I had my doubts, since government hospitals were already providing the jab free of cost but then I learnt that many in the urban poor community were refusing jabs. But they are highly vulnerable to Covid as they are going to work and could spread the virus too,” says Sanyal, a resident of BC Block.

ILS Hospitals agreed to host the initiative and the legwork was done by Sharmistha Mukherjee, a resident of DB Block and a friend of Sanyal’s. “Our target was to inoculate the oldest and physically challenged residents first but they were suspicious of the vaccine and of government hospitals. It was only when we ferried them by car and made them rest at an air-conditioned waiting room at the hospital that they gained some trust,” says Mukherjee.

And of course, the mood lightened when Ritabhari dropped by and interacted with everyone.

When some women were refusing to take the jab in the last minute, Mukherjee herself took a shot to motivate them. “I have had a brain tumour and my doctors had asked me not to take the Covid vaccine just yet. But these slum dwellers’ need was greater than mine so I took the plunge,” she said.

The first leg of the initiative took place last week — with 30 residents getting the jab — and the rest will follow in the days to come.