Mumbai: Less than 20,000 beneficiaries were vaccinated on Tuesday across Mumbai, with 16,754 being inoculated in the last 24 hours, of which 4,274 were between 18 to 44 years of age.
Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner said that not all vaccination centres were functional as they have very less stock of vaccine. However, they are expecting more doses in the next two days.
Depending on the availability of current stock, only senior citizens will be allowed to take the vaccine shots. We are also expecting a few vaccine doses by Thursday (May 20) following which more beneficiaries will be vaccinated. Meanwhile, the vaccination for citizens between 18 to 44 years of age is likely to start by the last week of May or the first week of June,” he said.
Senior health officials said vaccination can only prevent disease and deaths, not the infection. Moreover, the true impact of the vaccination will be seen after a month-and-a-half to two months, as you need to take two doses, and after 15 days of the second dose, antibodies will be produced. “So many of them who are coming in for vaccination probably are already harbouring the virus and also remember that vaccinations do not prevent the infection but they prevent disease, they prevent deaths and they prevent severe diseases so that you do not land up in a hospital or die – that’s the whole purpose of the vaccination,” he said.