Mumbai: Covid-19 vaccine for 18-44 age group at 227 new centres

After the Maharashtra government’s announcement on Wednesday that vaccination for all above 18 years of age will be free at government and civic facilities, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stated that these beneficiaries can get vaccinated at 227 new municipal vaccination centres that will be opened across the city

After the Maharashtra government’s announcement on Wednesday that vaccination for all above 18 years of age will be free at government and civic facilities, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stated that these beneficiaries can get vaccinated at 227 new municipal vaccination centres that will be opened across the city. The BMC had on Tuesday announced that vaccination for beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group will only be done at private vaccination centres.

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State health minister Rajesh Tope said vaccination for the 18-44 age group was unlikely to start from May 1, but the civic body did not clarify its stand on Wednesday. To prevent crowding at vaccination centres, the BMC had on Wednesday announced that the beneficiaries would be vaccinated only at 73 private hospitals, while 63 BMC and government-run centres would cater to those above 45 years of age. Currently, there are 136 vaccination centres in Mumbai of which 73 are private, 46 are municipal, and 17 are state-run.

Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Wednesday announced, “The existing 63 BMC and government centres will vaccinate beneficiaries above 45 years of age; 227 new BMC centres will be opened for all beneficiaries above age 18 years; presently 73 private vaccination centres will be increased to over 100 centres and will cater to vaccination of all beneficiaries above age 18 years.”

Each of the 227 electoral wards in the city would have one vaccination centre in addition to 63 that are already being run by the BMC and state government. All these would be free vaccination centres. The opening of 227 new centres would take about a month, said civic officials.

Paid vaccination is being done at 73 private hospitals which will continue and those in 18-44 age group can also get vaccinated there. However, the civic body had not officially announced the beginning of vaccination for the 18-44 age group till late on Wednesday.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner incharge of BMC’s public health department, said, “Infrastructure-wise, the BMC is ready to start administering vaccines to beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group from May 1, provided we get sufficient vaccine doses.”

Meanwhile, vaccination will be affected on Thursday due to shortage of stock.

The civic body’s vaccination centres will take in beneficiaries only after noon, while private hospital centres will remain closed.

The BMC is expecting to receive more vaccine doses by Wednesday midnight. Forty of the 73 private vaccine centres will be closed due to shortage of stock. The remaining 33 private vaccination centres will be open only till stocks last.

Owing to the shortage in vaccine doses, a BMC statement on Wednesday evening urged only those beneficiaries receiving their second dose to turn up at vaccination centres on Thursday.

Kakani said, “We are expecting Mumbai to receive some doses of vaccine on Wednesday late night. These will then be distributed to municipal and government centres in the morning on Thursday, so normal vaccination can resume by noon on Thursday at municipal and government facilities.”

Mumbai received 2,458,600 vaccine doses till April 25, of which 2,410,860 vaccine doses were utilised.

Hence, 47,750 vaccine doses are available at respective centres at the end of Wednesday’s vaccination drive.

On Wednesday, the BMC vaccinated 44,629 beneficiaries, of which 20,271 received the first dose of their vaccine, and 24,358 received the second dose of their vaccine.