Greater Mumbai civic body sets alarm bells ringing over Covid-19 vaccine crisis

Only 58 of 309 government-run Covid-19 vaccination centres in Greater Mumbai municipal corporation would operate on Tuesday owing to limited supplies.

The municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai announced on Monday that it would run vaccination against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from only 58 out of 309 government and civic body-run centers on Tuesday, due to paucity of vaccine stock.

Greater Mumbai civic body has made prior online appointment for Covid-19 vacciantion mandatory in the face of depleting stocks. (File photo)

Earlier in the day the civic authority took to micro-blogging platform Twitter to post a list of 27 Covid-19 vaccination centres open on Tuesday for administering Covaxin. It also informed that only the beneficiaries who have their second dose due would be allowed into the centres between 9am and 5pm.

Maharashtra reported a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines doses a few days ago, three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced universal adult vaccination against the viral infection.

Even as Maharashtra remains the state with highest number of vaccinated people, its health minister Rajesh Tope had last week told the assembly that the stocks were depleting, prompting several of its districts to halt the inoculation drive on days after they ran out of supplies.

The shortage of Covid-19 vaccines coupled with many people flouting health and safety norms necessiated to check the spread of the virus, have raised concerns over the impending third wave of the pandemic.

Maharashtra on Monday recorded 6,017 single-day cases of Covid-19 infection while 66 people succumbed to the virus in the previous 24 hours, according to the state health department's bulletin. Meanwhile, the state capital Mumbai reported 403 cases of the infection and 14 related deaths in the 24-hour-span.