Nearly 70,000 beneficiaries were inoculated on Wednesday across the city. According to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data, 68,565 beneficiaries were vaccinated at 375 COVID-19 vaccine centres, of which 44,694 were between 18 to 44 years of age and 170 were lactating mothers. Moreover, so far, 907 were administered Sputnik V vaccine at private centres as part of its pilot project.
So far, 42.56 lakh beneficiaries have been vaccinated since the mass immunization drive began in the city. Of the total, 34.08 lakh have taken their first dose and 8.48 lakh have taken both the doses. Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said the vaccination drive has increased its pace now as most of the private hospitals are administering vaccines to those above 18 years. Moreover, people are coming forward to take the jab fearing they will contract the virus. “We have around 1 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses and we are expecting more to arrive soon. Moreover, the adult population is keen on taking the shots as most of them are going abroad for studies,” he said.
Senior health officer from the state Health Department said, if 60 per cent of the vulnerable population is fully vaccinated by July-end, along with strict checks on potential super-spreading events, Maharashtra would be better equipped to handle the third wave. “An ideal situation would have been simultaneous vaccination coverage of at least 80 per cent in the 45 years and above age group and 60 per cent of the 18 to 44 age group, along with public health measures to best tackle another surge,” he said.