4 private hospitals in city start vaccinating their staff

MUMBAI: Four private hospitals in the city started vaccinating their own healthcare workers (HCWS) on Wednesday. In addition to the 23 centres at government hospitals and Covid-19 jumbo facilities, Jaslok, Cama and Albless, Dr LH Hiranandani and Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospitals are administering vaccines to their staff.

The four private hospitals are among the 20 private hospitals shortlisted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to join the vaccination drive. Sixteen more private hospitals are expected to set up vaccination centres for their healthcare staff.

All 20 will continue to function as vaccination centres once BMC enters the third phase of the drive, in which senior citizens and those in the general public with comorbidities will be inoculated.

Around 3 million Mumbaiites will qualify for vaccination in this phase, according to BMC’S door-to-door survey.

Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani, who is also in charge of BMC’S public health department, said, “All 20 hospitals have a go-ahead from us to remain vaccination centres during the third phase, if they chose to do so. Over the next few days, all 20 will start functioning as vaccination centres for their own healthcare workers.

On Wednesday, 8,400 beneficiaries were inoculated in Mumbai, of which 1,374 were HCWS who got their first dose of the vaccine and 393 HCWS received the second dose. While the turnout for HCWS was 59%, it was 115% for frontline workers (FLWS) with 6,633 FLWS receiving the first dose. BMC started vaccinating FLWS from February 4 and they will receive the second dose 28 days after the first shot.

At the four private hospitals, 201 HCWS received the first dose of the vaccine. Jaslok Hospital

administered the second dose to two HCWS.

Three beneficiaries reported minor adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) on Wednesday when they complained of dizziness. They were kept under observation for 30 minutes and then discharged.

So far, BMC has vaccinated 133,349 people, of which 38,953 are FLWS. Additionally, 676 HCWS received their second dose. For the third day in a row, there were technical glitches with the COWIN app, which is managing the vaccination drive, and as a result, not all the beneficiaries who visited centres for their second dose could be vaccinated.