The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has now decided to allow walk-ins to all those scheduled to receive their second vaccine dose in the first week of August. The civic body has requested the government of India (GOI) to grant them permission for the same.
Additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani said that considering there are more than 13 lakh beneficiaries on a waiting list for the second dose in August, of which five lakh will complete 84 days in the first week of August and need to be administered with Covid vaccine. Moreover, they are preparing guidelines for vaccinating a second dose at the Covid vaccine centres across the city.
“We have requested government to allow walk-ins to all beneficiaries above 18 years whose second dose is scheduled in August so that everyone gets their jabs on time. Moreover, our priority is to give the second doses for which we are preparing guidelines. Not all beneficiaries will complete 84 days on the same day. So we will ensure that everyone gets the doses,” he said.
Kakani added that once they get a green signal from GOI to start walk-in for beneficiaries with second doses then they will direct the respective wards to conduct vaccination drive in 60:40 ratio which means 60 per cent online registration for the first dose and 40 per cent walk for the second dose. “We have 1.80lakh doses which are adequate to vaccinate everyone and our main aim is to provide a second dose to the beneficiaries who will complete 84 days next month,” concluded Kakani.
The vaccination drive for those above 18 years and above began on May 1 and after ten days it was halted as there were no vaccines. Initially, the gap between the two Covishield doses was four to six weeks, like Covaxin. It was then increased to six to eight weeks and yet again to 12 to 16 weeks on May 12.
While this helped prioritise the first doses, the civic body now faces the challenge of giving the second dose.
Since May, 33 lakh doses have been administered and only 11.6 lakh of these were second doses in Mumbai. Of these, 13.67 lakh people who received Covishield will complete 84 days next month. This includes five lakh people who will complete the maximum 112 days by August 31.
Senior health officer from the civic health department said currently they have a very limited stock of vaccines which is being used depending on the number of stocks given to the vaccine centres. They are not aware how the civic body will handle the vaccination drive next month if the vaccine stocks are not increased to more than 3 lakhs per day as the number of second doses is in lakhs. “We are waiting for a green signal from GOI for walk-ins and more vaccine doses so that drive is not hampered. We have to plan accordingly so that there is no chaos at the centres and everyone get their second dose,” said a doctor.