Mumbai police gear up to get vaccine shot in Phase-2

The police force in Mumbai will be vaccinated in the phase two of the mega drive, officials said on Friday.

The Mumbai police spokesperson DCP S Chaitanya said, "We have sent the details of our personnel for the registration to the civic body which will do the further processing including setting up the priority. We have already handed the details and the force is looking forward to the immunisation program as it would boost the morale of the force, he added.

Mumbai police, being at the frontline force, lost over 100 police personnel owing to the COVID19 while thousands contracted the disease so far. The Mumbai police is among the worst affected force in the country. However, their number gradually decreesed, today's number of active cases in the police personel is almost negligible, said a police officer.

The health workers were chosen to be the first recipients of COVID-19 vaccine shots, however, due to uncertainty around the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, many healthcare workers chose to refrain from taking the shots which led to a low turnout at the centres. However, so far nobody among the police force has raised doubts, added the officer.

The civic body is expecting to finish immunisation of 1.3 lakh healthcare workers by mid February. After the completion of immunisation of phase one, they will start the phase two which includes immunisation of frontline workers, including police.

According to the officials, the civic body is ready with its plan to carry out simultaneous programmes of administering second dose to healthcare workers and phase two of immunisation, but they are waiting for directives from the Central government. Availability of vaccine will decide the further course of action, added a BMC officer.