The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Saturday started administering the first dose of Covishield for beneficiaries in the age group of 30-40 years. The Mumbai civic corporation has designated 10 centres where people in this age group can get their first jab only after booking an online appointment.
The BMC’s decision came after the Maharashtra government on Friday announced that state and civic run vaccination centres can start a drive for people between 30 and 40 years of age. The decision was taken after vaccination for beneficiaries in the 45 years and above group was streamlined to some extent. The BMC had earlier suspended the immunisation drive for the age group between 18-44 years.
According to officials, vaccination for those between 30-44 years will take place between 10 am to 3 pm at BMC Murli Deora Eye Hospital (Kamathipura), Acworth Leprosy (Wadala), Priyadarshani Park (Walkeshwar), Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule (Borivli), Jolly Gymkhana (Ghatkopar), Deonar Maternity Home (Govandi), V D Savarkar (Mulund), Seth Ayurvedic (Sion), Bandra Bhabha (Bandra) and M W Desai (Malad).
“They will be given only the first dose of Covishield. Each centre has been given 200 doses of the vaccine. So far, about 27 lakh beneficiaries above 45 years of age have been vaccinated in the city,” said an official from the BMC.
However, only 10.31 lakh beneficiaries between 18-44 years have been vaccinated. That too, over 90 per cent received their doses from private centres. There are about 59 lakh citizens between this age group in Mumbai.
In all, so far, 43.88 lakh people have been inoculated.
On Friday, the state government issued new guidelines under which all government centers have been asked to make arrangements for vaccinating people between 30-40 years. “The beneficiaries from this age group can get jab via online appointment and also by walk in at centers. Required changes in Co-WIN for this age group will be done,” said an official from the state government.
