86 of 120 vaccination centres in Mumbai did not operate on Friday

“The vaccination drive will take place only at government and municipal hospitals on Saturday and Sunday,” municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said on Friday night.

Of the 120 vaccination centres in Mumbai, 86 centres could not conduct sessions on Friday as they ran out of vaccine, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Effectively, only 36 vaccination centres carried out the vaccination drive on Friday. BMC is expected to receive 100,000 vaccine doses by Friday late night.

At the end of Thursday’s vaccination drive, BMC had utilised about 50% of the 103,320 vaccine vials in stock and the remaining were left for Friday. (HT Photo)

“The vaccination drive will take place only at government and municipal hospitals on Saturday and Sunday,” municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said on Friday night. Private vaccination centres will not conduct vaccination drive on April 10, 11, and 12 as BMC directed all private vaccination centres to cancel any scheduled sessions on these days and inform beneficiaries who have signed up for these dates.

There are 33 municipal-run vaccination centres and 16 state and Central government-operated vaccination centres in Mumbai, where vaccination will continue between 12noon and 6pm on Saturday, and between 9am and 5pm on Sunday. KEM Hospital, BYL Nair Hospital, Rajawadi Hospital, Mahim Maternity Hospital and BKC jumbo Covid centre will also operate till 8pm on Saturday as these facilities have signed up for two sessions of the vaccination drive per day.

“However, if more vaccines become available, efforts will be made to resume vaccinations in private hospitals,” BMC’s public health department said.

At the end of Thursday’s vaccination drive, BMC had utilised about 50% of the 103,320 vaccine vials in stock and the remaining were left for Friday. Following this, BMC vaccinated 33,551 beneficiaries on Friday, as opposed to around 50,000 beneficiaries vaccinated daily in the past week. On Friday, 29,187 beneficiaries received the first dose of their vaccine, and 4,364 beneficiaries received their second dose. These figures do not include final figures reported during the second session on Friday, which went on till 8pm.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner in-charge of BMC’s public health department, on Friday said, “BMC will receive 100,000 vaccine doses by Friday night. Presently we have zero vaccine stock at BMC’s central storage facility.”

Among the centres that ran out of vaccine doses and did not operate on Friday were BKC jumbo Covid facility, Dahisar jumbo facility, Cooper Hospital, Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, SevenHills Hospital, Sion Hospital, VN Desai Hospital, Bhatia Hospital, and Breach Candy Hospital.