200,000 frontline workers in Mumbai sign up for vaccination phase 2

Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to conclude the first phase of Covid-19 immunisation by February 14, the civic body is gearing up for subsequent phases. As of Wednesday, 200,000 frontline workers have registered on the centralised app, CoWIN, for the second phase.

Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to conclude the first phase of Covid-19 immunisation by February 14, the civic body is gearing up for subsequent phases. As of Wednesday, 200,000 frontline workers have registered on the centralised app, CoWIN, for the second phase.

(Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Following the completion of the first phase, the civic body will seek approval from the Centre to start the second phase. “Along with its requisite permission, we will also have to wait to get vaccines to inoculate frontline workers in the second phase. As soon as we get both, we will kick-start the second phase,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, BMC.

After healthcare workers (HCWs), BMC will vaccinate frontline workers, including police personnel from the state and central police departments, armed forces personnel and disaster management volunteers.

“200,000 frontline workers have registered on the app, which will further increase to over 300,000 in the coming days,” said Kakani.

In the first phase, BMC has a target to inoculate around 125,000 on HCWs registered on the CoWIN app. So far, 23,399 HCWs have been immunised in the city, as against the target of 34,394 accounting for a 68% turnout.

After February 14, HCWs who missed their first appointment will get a chance at vaccination. “If they don’t come forward, we will initiate the second phase without waiting any further. We cannot force anyone since it [inoculation] is a voluntary process,” said Kakani.

In a bid to fasten the process of mass inoculation, BMC is increasing vaccination centres. In addition to the existing ten centres, the civic body has started another centre at SevenHills Hospital. The civic body has also increased vaccination units to 90 from 72.

On the first day of vaccination at SevenHills hospital on Wednesday, all 376 shortlisted candidates at the hospital got the first jab.

Along with SevenHills hospital, BMC also has plans to start vaccination centres at the NESCO Covid-19 jumbo centre. “We are trying to include as many vaccination centres as possible to provide better accessibility to potential beneficiaries, which can help attain a better turnout. Later, we will also include dispensaries, which are already equipped for immunisation programmes,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, BMC.

In the third phase, senior citizens above 60 years will be inoculated. BMC during their door-to-door survey found that more than 3 million civilians fall into the category. “Their details are already available with us. When we start the second phase, we will open the registration process for them,” said Kakani.

Meanwhile, private hospitals are yet to hear from the civic body to open their doors as vaccination centres.

Dr Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician at Bombay Hospital and member of the Association of Hospitals, a trust of private hospitals, said, “BMC has asked us to give hospital-wise data on our total number of vaccinators, details of cold storage facilities and the capacity of per day vaccination. We are in the process to compile all data.”

As per BMC, no one has developed any severe side effects of the vaccines in the city.