For the second consecutive day, less than 40,000 beneficiaries were vaccinated on Thursday. According to the vaccine data provided by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 39,644 beneficiaries were vaccinated in the last 24 hours, of which 34,973 were given Covishield and 4,671 were given Covaxin. 11 beneficiaries showed mild side effects.
"So far, those who are eligible for vaccination, such as healthcare workers, frontline workers, senior citizens above 60 years and those above the age of 45 years with comorbidities are 1.77 crore. To give them both the first and second doses, around 2 crore doses of vaccine are required. We have conveyed this to the Union Health Ministry,” said Health Minister Rajesh Tope.
The state health minister further requested the central government to grant permission to 367 hospitals in Maharashtra to conduct the vaccination drive. "However, only 209 hospitals have been recognised so far. 150 hospitals have not been recognised. At present, according to the policy of the central government, only those hospitals with a capacity of 100 beds or more can be turned into a vaccination centre," the minister had said.
"We have requested that hospitals that can complete the process of vaccination as per the standards should be considered eligible to conduct the vaccination drive even if they have a capacity of 50 beds. This will allow the vaccination drive to be completed faster and in a better manner,” he added.
