File image: A healthcare worker holding a rose receives an AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine, during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, at a medical centre in Mumbai, India on January 16, 2021. (Image: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

Mumbai will have vaccinations only in government and civic centres on April 10, 11 and 12, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said on April 9.

The city civic body added that no private hospitals or centres would administer vaccines till the state has sufficient vaccine stock.

Meanwhile, vaccinations will continue at government centres on April 10 between 12 pm to 6 pm and on April 11 between 9 am and 5 pm.

In its statement on micro-blogging site Twitter, BMC wrote: “It is hereby informed to all private COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) will not conduct sessions on April 11 and 12, 2021 as no vaccine stock is available.”

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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#MyBMCUpdates

Vaccination to take place only at Govt & Municipal Hospitals on 10 Apr (12pm- 6pm) & 11 Apr (9am-5pm)
No vaccination at any pvt centre on 10, 11 & 12 Apr
Citizens eligible for vaccination can travel to vaccination centres during curfew on medical grounds pic.twitter.com/0X9f4ucTIs
— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) April 9, 2021

Citizens eligible for vaccines will be allowed to travel to the government CVCs even during curfew hours on “medical grounds,” the BMC clarified. Mumbai went under weekend curfew from 8 pm on April 9 till 7 am on April 12.

Check here for the latest updates on all COVID-19 vaccines

Maharashtra, which has been reporting the most number of coronavirus infections in the country for the last several days, shut over 125 COVID-19 vaccination centres as it faces a shortage of vaccine doses, reports have said on April 9.

At least 26 centres have been shut in the state capital Mumbai, including 23 in Navi Mumbai. Besides, 100 centres in Pune, Sangli, Satara and Panvel were also shut.

The shortage has pitted Maharashtra against the Centre, with the state accusing the Union government of discriminating against the state in vaccine allotment. The Centre, in turn, has accused the state of mismanaging the crisis.

Vaccination could not take place at 25 private Mumbai hospitals due to a shortage of doses, news agency PTI reported the city civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as saying.

On April 8, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope alleged “discrimination” from the Centre, saying fewer vaccines were allotted to Maharashtra despite a high number of cases in the state.

"According to the latest release order of vaccines from the Centre, Maharashtra has only been given 7.5 lakh vaccine doses while Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana have been given far more vaccines," Tope told ANI.

In response to Tope’s accusation, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan lashed out at Maharashtra and other states, accusing them of trying to cover their "failures" by making "irresponsible" statements and spreading panic among people.

Follow our full COVID-19 coverage here

COVID-19 News | Mumbai to have vaccination only at government centres on April 10-12, says BMC

Meanwhile vaccinations will continue at government centres on April 10 between 12 pm to 6 pm and on April 11 between 9 am and 5 pm

File image: A healthcare worker holding a rose receives an AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine, during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, at a medical centre in Mumbai, India on January 16, 2021. (Image: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

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