A year on, over 700 adults still coming for first dose daily

In March, on an average 1,316 citizens received their first dose of COVID vaccine daily, of them 720 people were aged above 18 years

A year has passed since the Covid-19 vaccination drive started and Mumbai supposedly achieved its 100 per cent target for the first dose long ago.  However, a number of people aged above 18, even senior citizens, have been coming to centres for their first doses.

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In March, on average 1,316 citizens received their first dose daily, of which 720 people were aged above 18 years. They are mostly people who had either stayed away out of fear, or had gone to their hometowns in other states, or had allergies, or were in critical condition from Covid for a longer duration, apart from reasons such as old age, pregnancy, etc.

The state had given a target to vaccinate 92.36 lakh people in Mumbai, which was completed four months ago on November 13. Till March 19, a total of 1.02 crore adults received the first dose, almost 10 per cent more than the estimate. 

Dr Vasundhara Galdhar, coordinator of the vaccination centre at BYL Nair Hospital, said, “The elderly and bedridden patients were advised to wait, and since now everyone has realised that there aren’t many side effects, these people are coming for vaccines. Even patients with chronic illnesses and pregnant women couldn’t take their first dose.” She said that some had also gone to their hometowns in other states and were under the impression that they could not get the vaccine there. 

“Many didn’t take it out of fear and misunderstanding. But now that almost everyone around has got the vaccine and nothing happened to them, people are more confident. In addition, there are restrictions on travelling and entering public places for those unvaccinated, so those who stayed away so far are coming now,” said a doctor at the civic vaccination centre.

13,769
No. of first doses given to adults in city in March (till 19th)

First dose this month

>> March 19: 614
>> March 17: 561
>> March 16: 655
>> March 15: 668
>> March 14: 816 
(for those above 18)

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