Mumbai: Students panic over insufficient vaccine doses, BMC says enough available

A beneficiary from the 18-44 years group gets vaccinated at a centre in Walkeshwar. File pic

Students travelling abroad for higher studies, who were to take their jabs at three hospitals in the city on Monday, were a worried lot in the morning after word spread that the BMC had reserved only 50 doses for each of the centres. However, the civic body later claimed that there were no restrictions on the number of doses and the students could get inoculated on a walk-in basis at the three centres - Kasturba, Rajawadi and Cooper hospitals. The BMC's vaccination data shows that a total of 987 students were vaccinated by the end of the day.

A civic official said, "There was a lot of rush at these three hospitals and as it was being done on a walk-in basis for the students, we had provided enough stock." On Monday, 86,887 beneficiaries were inoculated at several civic, government and private centres. Out of the total inoculations done on Monday, 64,610 were carried out at 31 private hospitals whereas the civic and state centres conducted 22,277. Only two cases of adverse effects were reported.

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Meanwhile, the city has so far inoculated a total of 32,76,041 beneficiaries, out of which 75,01,09 have been administered both the doses. With the BMC allowing those above 45 years to walk-in at all public centres, Monday saw a huge response. However, those from the 18 to 44 years group are helping to increase the inoculation numbers in the city. A total of 55,378 beneficiaries from this age group were inoculated at private hospitals on Monday.

Further, the turnout of senior citizens was 8,588, whereas 19,542 people above 45 years got inoculated. The number of health care workers and frontline workers who got vaccinated on Monday were 982 and 942 respectively.