Nearly 61% beneficiaries receive vaccine on Friday amid low turnout
The city continues to witness a low turnout of the beneficiaries for the third consecutive day on Friday.
According to the data shared by the civic body, 6,461 of 10,400 Healthcare Workers (HCWs) and Front Line Workers (FLWs) were inoculated in the last 24 hours. Overall, 61 per cent of beneficiaries were vaccinated in the last 24 hours. Moreover, for the first time, the civic body has targeted to vaccinate more than 10,000 beneficiaries on Friday.
Senior health officials said police officials, as well as staff from the collector's office and civic departments, are amongst those coming forward. Moreover, walk-ins continue to be the preferred mode. “It doesn’t mean HCWs and FLWs are not coming forward. All the registered beneficiaries are visiting vaccine booths according to their time and comfort. Sometimes, they are stuck in their work, due to which the numbers get reduced,” he said.
Several vaccination centres are recording more walk-in healthcare workers stepping up for vaccination than those with scheduled appointments. Centres in Mumbai said about 50 per cent of their vaccination numbers are of those doctors, nurses and paramedics who simply walk into the centre.
Suresh Kakani, an additional municipal commissioner in charge of BMC’s public health department, said, “Initially, the speed of the drive was low and now it is picking up, and we will be able to complete the drive in the targeted time. BMC noticed that whenever senior doctors have not participated in the drive and taken vaccine shots, the turnout is low. Where senior doctors have also taken the vaccine, other HCWs are more confident and the turnout is high.”
BMC has been facing problems with the Co-WIN app failing to contact all registered beneficiaries of their vaccination appointments. Kakani said, “As we could not communicate to everyone through the app, we are also using the ward war rooms to communicate to people that their turn to take the shots has come. Moreover, we have received the third consignment of the vaccines,” he said.