Mobile vaccine drive for the underprivileged and vulnerable flagged off

MUMBAI’S ‘VACCINE-ON-WHEELS’ drive was flagged off on Monday, under the joint initiative of the BMC and American India Foundation, for vulnerable and underprivileged communities.

The initiative is meant for administering the Covid-19 vaccine to commercial sex workers, HIV-positive persons, migrant workers, labourers, street vendors and hawkers. The vaccination drive started at Crawford Market, where 75 beneficiaries — 50 vendors and 25 sex workers — were inoculated.

The BMC, along with Mumbai District AIDS Control Organization, National Association of Pedestrian Vendors and other NGOs, has prepared a list of targeted beneficiaries in each ward.

Four mobile vaccination vehicles — one each in Borivali-Malad and Malvani-Bhandup areas, one in Bhandup-Mulund and another on Grant Road and Kamathipura areas — will be deployed from August 12.

Each mobile vaccination centre will have a doctor, two nurses and medical assistants each and an ambulance driver. They will be provided with laptops and WiFi connection to register beneficiaries on CoWIN. The BMC said the number of such mobile centres will be increased as required. The civic body added that each vehicle will work as a vaccination booth and inoculation will be free of cost.

Vaccination drives have been conducted for vulnerable and marginalised communities of the society in the city. In June, over 200 sex workers were administered the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The civic body, along with NGO Project Mumbai, began door-to-door vaccination for bedridden and immobile persons, and has inoculated 1,242 beneficiaries since July 30. Over 1,500 beneficiaries without identification cards have also received the Covid-19 vaccine in the city. A special camp was recently started for tribals in Aarey Milk Colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park.