City vaccine centres down to 75 from 89

Initially, the central government had approved 5,000 vaccination locations across India, of which 89 were in Delhi. On Wednesday, the Centre reduced the number of locations for the inaugural day (Saturday) from 5,000 to 2,934, with which the number of centres in Delhi also reduced to 75.

The Covid-19 vaccination drive in Delhi will begin across 75 locations on Saturday, each with one vaccination site, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

The 75 include prominent hospitals such as Lok Nayak, BL Kapoor, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, AIIMS, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Fortis Escorts Institute, and Safdarjung Hospital. (Representative Image) (via REUTERS)

Initially, the central government had approved 5,000 vaccination locations across India, of which 89 were in Delhi. On Wednesday, the Centre reduced the number of locations for the inaugural day (Saturday) from 5,000 to 2,934, with which the number of centres in Delhi also reduced to 75, said a senior government official.

“After the second dry run (January 8), the government felt the necessity to reduce the overall workload on the first day. Hence, it was decided that 75 centres, instead of 89, would be fit for Delhi. It was communicated to the state government on Wednesday. With time, the government plans to increase the number of locations as well as the number of sites in each location. The learning experience on each day will be recorded and that shall guide the administration in further planning,” said a senior Delhi government official, on condition of anonymity.

The 75 include prominent hospitals such as Lok Nayak, BL Kapoor, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, AIIMS, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Fortis Escorts Institute, and Safdarjung Hospital.

The 14 locations that have been removed included 12 private hospitals such as Jeewan Mala Hospital in central Delhi, Vinayak Hospital in north Delhi, Medeor Hospital in south Delhi and Satyabhama Hospital in west Delhi. The only two government hospitals removed from the inaugural day list are Delhi State Cancer Institute and Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital.

Each vaccination centre will have a limit of 100 shots a day. The drive will start with health care workers – their numbers are estimated at 300,000 in Delhi, of which 225,000 have registered for the vaccine.