After 100% double-dose target, Navi Mum targets booster drive

After achieving 100 per cent vaccination target of both doses for beneficiaries above 18 years, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has started a three-week long special drive to cover those who are due for their booster or precautionary doses. The civic body said it will also ensure maximum coverage of eligible children.

The special campaign started on May 12 and will conclude on May 31. Navi Mumbai was the first city to achieve 100 per cent coverage for the first dose, and also achieved full success for the second dose in record time. It is also leading in vaccination of children in the age groups of 1214 years and 15-17 years.

Civic chief Abhijit Bangar said, “With Covid-19 severity coming down, people are not coming forward to get vaccinated even though it is their prescribed time to take the second dose or the third precautionary dose. It was due to adequate vaccination that the effect of the third wave was not severe.”

Under the renewed campaign, the civic body’s plan is to cover at least two locations daily in each civic primary health centre. For this, 750 locations have been identified, with a plan to provide vaccination facilities in crowded places like nakas, markets, railway stations, bus depots, malls and resident associations. NMMT buses of the corporation have been made available to achieve this.

Teachers of Navi Mumbai municipal schools are playing an important role in this campaign. Groups of seven teachers and three workers of each civic primary health centre will raise awareness and reach out to citizens in the vicinity of health centres to vaccinate children who have not received their second dose or adults their precautionary dose.