4,000 health workers to get COVID-19 vaccine in Mumbai daily

As many as 4,000 health workerswill be administered COVID-19 vaccine every day at ninevaccination centres in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) said on Friday.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will launch thevaccination drive from a centre at Bandra Kurla Complex onSaturday, the civic body stated in an official release.

The vaccination will start at Vile Parle-based Dr R NCooper Hospital, it was stated.

Vaccines will be administered at 40 booths in ninecentres, including KEM Hospital (Parel), Sion Hospital (Sion),Cooper Hospital (Vile Parle), Nair Hospital (Mumbai Central),Bhabha Hospital (Bandra), V N Desai Hospital (Santacruz),Rajawadi Hospital (Ghatkopar), Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital(Kandivali) and BKC Jumbo COVID-19 centre.

Initially, on an avergae, 4,000 beneficiaries will bevaccinated daily at these booths, the release stated.

As many as 1.30 lakh health workers have registeredfor immunisation, while the civic body has received 1,39,500lakh doses of Covishield vaccine from Pune-based SerumInstitute of India.

According to the BMC, the vaccine has been stored atthe F-South ward office in Parel, from where it will betransported to nine vaccination centres.

''Vaccination centres are prepared for the drive. Thework at the regional cold storage centre at Kanjurmarg hasbeen completed. Misconceptions in people's minds about thevaccine are being cleared,'' city Mayor Kishori Pednekar said.

At least 7,000 staffers have been trained for thedrive and 10,000 more are being trained, the civic bodystated.

As per the Centre's guidelines, health workers will beinoculated in the first phase, followed by frontline workersand citizens with co-morbid conditions.

''As a large number of citizens are expected to bevaccinated in the third phase of the drive, apart from thenine vaccination centres, 63 more will be set up, where 50,000citizens can be vaccinated in a day,'' BMC stated.