Mumbai’s vax drive at over 300 centres put on hold again

For a second time this month, the Covid-19 vaccination drive at more than 300 centres run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and state government will remain suspended on Friday, owing to a shortage of doses. However, vaccination will continue as per schedule at private hospitals. In a statement on Thursday, the BMC said, “Vaccination will remain suspended on Friday, July 9, 2021, at government and municipal vaccination centres in the city due to insufficient vaccine stock available under the Covid-19 prevention vaccination campaign.”

The BMC had expected replenishment of vaccine doses on Wednesday, but it did not receive any stock due to which the decision was taken. According to BMC officials, the civic body’s central vaccine storage facility was out of stock on Wednesday, but the drive continued in nearly half of the centres on Thursday with the help of leftover stock at the respective vaccination centres.

There are 401 vaccination centres in the city, of which 283 are civic run, 20 are of state government and rest are private vaccination centres.

Previously, the Covid-19 vaccination drive was similarly suspended in 300 vaccination centres on July 1, owing to vaccine shortage.

Before that, due to the vaccine shortage, Mumbai had suspended the vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group between the second weeks of May and June.

According to BMC officials, they require even more vaccine doses in July considering the highest number of first doses, around 550,000, was administered in April 2021, and assuming these are now coming to civic run centres, the BMC needs even more vaccine doses.

A BMC official said, “We have the capacity to vaccinate over 100,000 vaccine doses on a daily basis, but we are not able to administer even half of it due to vaccine shortage.”

Meanwhile, 45,171 citizens were vaccinated on Thursday. Of these, 16,112 were vaccinated at civic, state centres and 29,059 at private hospitals.

Overall, 5,929,190 citizens have been vaccinated in the city till now, of which 2,462,079 in private hospitals and the rest in public centres.

Of the total, 1,247,410 are fully vaccinated with both doses.