BMC to stop vax drive for 45+ age group on Sat, Sun

MUMBAI: Owing to the shortage of vaccine doses, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to stop the vaccination drive for the 45+ age group on Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, the vaccination drive will be undertaken for four hours, between 1pm to 5pm.

According to BMC officials, it plans to vaccinate around 100,000 citizens, who are awaiting their second dose of Covishield and Covaxin, on a walk-in basis for 60+ and specially-abled citizens.

However, the decision might change owing to the revised guidelines of administering a second dose of Covishield between a gap of 12 to 16 weeks. The current gap between two doses of the vaccine was sixeight weeks.

The civic body had a stock of 100,000 vaccines on Wednesday, but of the same, over 20,000 were used for Thursday’s vaccination drive.

Dr DN Patil, state immunisation officer said, “Around 80% of the doses were used for administering the second jab for those above 45 years today. In the next two days, we will further reduce the percentage of inoculation for the first dose. We are expecting more stock of vaccine from the Centre tomorrow or day after. The stock currently available with us can last for two more days. Both the manufacturers are expected to supply us stocks against our orders placed for the 18-44 years group. We can then think of resuming the inoculation for 18-44 years. We have not decided any date to continue the suspension of the vaccination for this group, it depends on the availability of vaccines.”

On Thursday, 31,377 citizens were vaccinated in the city, of which, 6,541 were between the age group of 18 and 44, 12,184 were between 45 to 59 age group and 10,953 were senior citizens above 60 years of age followed by the remaining healthcare and frontline workers.

Overall, 2,817,425 citizens have been vaccinated in the city.

Though the civic body has suspended the vaccination drive for the 18 to 44 years of age group to divert the doses for the second shot of the 45+ age group, the private hospitals are continuing to conduct the vaccination drive in the city as they are directly procuring the vaccine doses from the manufacturers.

These private hospitals are conducting vaccination for all age groups above 18+ and are allowed to charge.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner said, “We had around 100,000 doses in our stock as of Wednesday and we will continue our vaccination drive with it on Friday too. However, for now, the vaccination for the 18 to 44 age group will remain on hold as we had announced on Wednesday.”