Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Vax and wane: Mumbai sees sharp dip
Daily vaccinations drop to 20,000 a day in May, compared to 45,000 per day in April; shortage and confusion to blame
MUMBAI: The vaccination drive in Mumbai slowed down in May, with the average number of beneficiaries vaccinated per day dropping to 20,000 or lower, in comparison to 45,000 to 50,000 beneficiaries vaccinated per day in April.
A total of 22,686 beneficiaries were vaccinated in Mumbai on Friday, of which 19,863 got their first dose, and 2,823 their second dose. On Thursday, a total of 19,361 beneficiaries were vaccinated, of which 16,769 got their first dose and 2,592 got their second dose.
Over the past few weeks, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has introduced newer rules to streamline vaccination, avoid crowding at centres and achieve internal targets for certain age groups on priority, leading to confusion among beneficiaries. The BMC has pointed out that there are days during the drive when all vaccine slots are not filled up, and citizens are unwilling or unable to get their shots. Shortage of vaccine doses is another reason for reduced numbers.
The BMC started vaccination of healthcare workers on January 16, of beneficiaries above age 60 years and those between 45 years and 59 years on March 1, and for beneficiaries in the age group of 18 years to 44 years on May 1, in line with the Centre’s directives.
Until March, the BMC was vaccinating about 25,000 to 30,000 beneficiaries per day. However, by the end of March, the civic body set a target of 100,000 beneficiaries per day, and allowed walk-ins to accelerate vaccination in April. Subsequently, vaccination was stepped up to over 45,000 beneficiaries per day.
However, in May, the BMC briefly stopped walk-in vaccination for all age groups to avoid crowding. Beneficiaries could opt for vaccination only by registering online and pre-booking a slot, posing a challenge to senior citizens.
Saloni Sikdar, 26, a resident of Goregaon, said, “I booked slots on the Cowin application for my parents. Both of them have now received both their vaccine shots. But even for me, it was tedious to book a slot online. It is like a lottery, and you get virtually five seconds to manage your booking. It took a lot of research to understand the process. But one of my relatives, who is 50 years old, has been trying to register herself and her 70-year-old mother, but is unable to figure out the process. For those without younger family members at home, it is very challenging.”
From Monday, the BMC will restart walk-in vaccinations for beneficiaries above the age of 60 years for the first and second dose, to increase the turnout and speed up the vaccination. Of the 1,100,000 beneficiaries in this age group, 300,000 have still not got their first dose.
Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner in charge of the public health department, said, “Shortage of vaccine doses is one reason. The BMC also wants to prioritise vaccinating citizens above age 60 years, especially those who are due for their second dose. To avoid crowding at centres, some days, we limit the drive only to senior citizens. On some days, all our slots are not booked, indicating there is still some hesitation among citizens to get vaccinated. “
Anjum Shaikh, 28, a resident of Mumbai Central, who is a healthcare worker, said, “I booked slots for my parents, and my uncle and aunt. While my parents got the vaccine shots, my uncle and aunt were hesitant to get vaccinated and missed their appointment. They fall in the 45-60 age group. Now we are unable to book slots for them. There is also a lot of confusion about which days the drive is open for 45 years and above. We were trying to book slots again last week, but we found out the BMC had paused vaccination for this age group.”
Vanita Kawale, 78, got her first dose of covaxin in March. When she was due for her second dose, Covaxin was not available at many centres, and Vanita had to run pillar to post to get her second dose in time.
According to data from the state government, in the first week of May, a total of 190,074 beneficiaries were vaccinated in Mumbai, of which 122,654 received their second dose and 67,420 the first dose.
In the second week of May, a total of 209,428 beneficiaries were vaccinated in Mumbai, of which 104,973 received their second dose and 104,455 received their first dose. In the third week of May, 69,490 beneficiaries were vaccinated, of which 61,395 received their first dose, and 8,095 their second. n the contrary, in the last week of April, 263,461 beneficiaries were vaccinated, of which 113,967 got their first dose and 149,494 their second dose. In the third week of April, 280,735 beneficiaries were vaccinated, in the second week, 309,578 beneficiaries were vaccinated, and in the first week of April, 340,461 beneficiaries were vaccinated.