1,317 vaccinated at home in Mumbai till August 9, BMC tells HC

The BMC affidavit stated that till August 9 none of the beneficiaries who received the jab had reported any incidence of AEFI

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has informed the Bombay high court (HC) that 1,317 bedridden and severely ill immobile persons of the 4,889 registered for the drive, have been vaccinated at their homes till August 9.

Senior citizen beneficiary pose at selfie point after taking a dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Global Hospital at Parel. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

In an affidavit filed on Wednesday, the civic body has also responded to the query of the court on the role of NGOs and stated that the NGOs were roped in to help the civic officials before and after administering the jab.

The affidavit is filed in response to public interest litigation (PIL) on home vaccination, which will come up for hearing today (Thursday).

The affidavit filed by Dr Mangala Gomare, in-charge executive health officer, stated the civic health workers had collected data of persons in need of home vaccination by undertaking house to house survey and through a dedicated email id, and in all 4,889 individuals have registered for the drive so far.

Dr Gomare added that 1,317 beneficiaries had been vaccinated since the drive was commenced from the K-East ward on July 30 on an experimental basis.

In the previous hearing, the BMC had submitted that 602 beneficiaries had been vaccinated through a home inoculation drive without any beneficiary complaining of Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI). Thus, within a week BMC has managed to vaccinate more than one-fourth of total registered beneficiaries with the first jab.

The affidavit submitted on August 10 before the division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni in reply to the public interest litigation filed by advocates Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari has stated that as per the prayers in the PIL which sought directions to the centre, state and civic authorities to consider home vaccination for the bedridden and severely ill persons, after the success in the K-East ward, the drive has been ongoing in all the 24 wards.

In response to the query by the HC on the need for roping in NGOs the affidavit states that as per the suggestion of the petitioner who sought post-vaccination observation of beneficiary for 48 hours, the civic authority expects the NGOs to help reduce the burden on the vaccination team by calling on the beneficiary coordinating with a local doctor and monitoring the beneficiary after receiving the jab.

The affidavit has further stated that till August 9 none of the beneficiaries who received the jab had reported any incidence of AEFI.

HC will hear the PIL on Thursday, August 12.