NMC to increase centres, slots for 30+ from today

Nagpur: After it received a good response on first day, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) increased the number of centres from existing 81 to 105 and slots from 100 to 200 per centre for Covid-19 vaccination of 30-44 years age group from Sunday. Wockhardt Hospital has become fourth in the city to start paid inoculation of 18-plus.
As against daily vaccination of below 4,000, the numbers swelled to 15,243 in the district on Saturday. Around 10,000 people from 30-44 years age group took the jab in the district on the first day.
NMC chief medical officer Dr Sanjay Chilkar told TOI, “The state government directed us to begin vaccination of 30-44 years age group on Friday evening. We started opening slots of centres on Co-Win application from 8.30pm onwards. We made slots available at all centres by 2am. The slots were booked in no time. It helped in a large number of people getting vaccinated on Saturday. There was no crowding at centres due to online appointment. People cooperated too,” he said.
The civic body conducted inoculation of 30-44 years age group at 81 of the 105 centres. A total of 100 slots were made available online at each centre. Vaccination of 45-plus was done at the remaining 24 centres.
Dr Chilkar said, “Vaccination for 30-44 years age group and 45-plus will be done at all the 105 centres from Sunday onwards. A total of 200 slots online will be made available at majority of the centres, 100 at some centres for 30-44 years age group and there will be 50 offline slots for 45-plus,” he said.
The NMC, in a press release, said vaccination of 30-plus will also start at two drive-in vaccination centres situated at Glocal Square Mall and VR mall.
Dr Chilkar also said vaccination figures of 45-plus increased in the city on Saturday.
The Zilla Parishad has started inoculation of 30-44 years age group at 66 of total 114 centres on Saturday. CEO of ZP Yogesh Kumbhejkar has set a target of vaccinating 1,000 persons per day for each of the 13 tehsils.
Centre head of Wockhardt Hospital, Abhinandan Dastenavar, told TOI, “Vaccination was started for 18-plus from Friday. A total of 500 were administered the dose on Friday and over 300 on Saturday.” The hospital was first in Vidarbha to start corporate vaccination from June 3. It has administered doses to over 1,000 employees of four corporate companies.
Dastenavar said corporate vaccination will restart soon. The centre had allowed vaccination of 18-44 years age group from May 1 but had placed responsibility of procuring doses from manufacturers. The state had commenced vaccination of this age group on May 1 with limited centres but stopped it on May 12 citing shortage of doses.
The state has started free-of-cost inoculation of 30-44 years age group at government centres. Private hospitals can do paid vaccination for 18-plus by directly procuring doses from manufacturers.