Notwithstanding the fact that 50% of the estimated adult population in the city has already received at least one shot of either Covishield or Covaxin, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is still struggling with vaccine shortage.
Civic chief Gaurav Gupta on Thursday said vaccine shortage was still a constraint for the BBMP. The shortage has become all the more pronounced since June 28 after the BBMP started holding vaccination camps in colleges for eligible students, and teaching and non-teaching staff.
The chief commissioner said on Wednesday, the drive was held in 61 colleges. “Vaccination is our most important weapon against COVID-19 and more such camps will be held to ensure maximum coverage of the adult population in the city,” he said.
Admitting that there was a huge demand for vaccines, he said Bengaluru had the capacity to cover over 1.5 lakh people a day, provided there are vaccines available. “The BBMP gets around 40,000 to 50,000 doses a day and the private health care institutions in the city are able to cover another 35,000 to 40,000 people,” he said.
Neighbouring Maharashtra had made arrangements for vaccinators to visit the homes of bed-ridden patients/ citizens. When asked if a similar arrangement could be introduced here, Mr. Gupta said it all depended on the availability of vaccines. “That said, the vaccine coverage in Bengaluru is higher than that of other cities, despite this shortage,” he said.
Though the second wave appears to be under control with the city recording 700-800 new cases every day, the civic chief urged people to remain cautious and vigilant. “Just like we are disciplined about seat belt and helmet usage, we must adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour,” he added.