Mumbai: As response improves, COVID-19 vaccination drive ramped up to 5 days a week

A health worker being administered the vaccine at KEM Hospital on January 16. Pic/Ashish Raje

MumbaiThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to operate its vaccination centres five days a week from Monday to Friday. On Republic Day, the centres will not be operational, however, operations for the week will resume today. Since Tuesday is a public holiday the drive will be operational on Saturday this week.

Last week the drive was held on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The BMC had 39 units at nine vaccination centres functional last week, and this week, it will increase them to 65. An addition of 26 units. A vaccination centre is also run at the JJ Hospital by the state with one unit.

Staffers take a selfie in the observation room at Bharatratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Municipal General Hospital in Kandivli on January 16. Pic/Satej Shinde

Huge turnout anticipated
The BMC has vaccinated over 12,000 workers so far since vaccinations started on January 16. It has sent messages to 9,550 health workers to turn up at the centres on Monday. The increase in number of units is in anticipation of a huge turnout which was seen on Friday and Saturday last week. The first dose of the vaccine was taken by about 8,000 odd health workers on Friday and Saturday.

With glitches in the CoWin application getting fixed but not completely, the BMC is yet not sure of how many additional units will be needed, and so is activating
26 more units.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, "The BMC has decided to start the operations of vaccination centres, five days a week from Monday to Friday. With Tuesday being a public holiday the vaccination drive will be operational on Saturday this week. The messages about the same are being sent through the application and we are expecting a good response even on Monday."

26
No. of more units that will be functional