Mumbai: More citizens heading to private vaccination centres

A woman receives a COVID-19 shot during a vaccination drive at Worli Koliwada. File pic/Shadab Khan

With vaccine availability at civic centres becoming erratic, people are turning to private facilities even though they have to shell out Rs 780 for a dose. On Tuesday and Wednesday, private centres administered 70,000 doses, whereas public centres vaccinated merely 13,000 beneficiaries.

In July, private centres administered an average of 25,000 doses daily, against 33,000 doses at public centres. However, from August 1 to August 11, private facilities have vaccinated 2.75 lakh people, while public centres could administer only 1.97 lakh doses.

After the fake vaccination scam in Kandivli societies surfaced in July, people started preferring public vaccination centres over the private ones. As the doses were available with public centres, the flow towards private facilities reduced. However, vaccine supply shrunk in August, with public centres being closed on several days or administering a limited number of doses.

Once again, vaccination at public centres has been suspended on Thursday and Friday. It will boost the numbers at private centres. "Our infrastructure is ready. But everything depends upon the supply of vaccines," said a civic official.