As the country awaits the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to begin from January 16, certain groups are being excluded from it. The Health Minister of Maharashtra, Rajesh Tope on Wednesday informed that people under the age of 18, pregnant women and those with allergies will not be administered with the ‘Covishield’ vaccine
According to media reports, the full two-doses will be given to only selected people, with the first dose now, and the second after 4-6 weeks.
Tope told the press, “We have decided to give the full-doses to the selected persons, the first dose now and the second after 4-6 weeks. However, those below 18 years, pregnant women or people with allergies shall not be administered the vaccine”
Maharashtra Has Received 55% Of The Expected Doses Of The COVID Vaccine
The Maharashtra government has received 963,000 doses of the estimated 17,50,000 from the manufacturers, Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune. Since Tuesday, the vaccine doses are being dispatched to 511 designated vaccination centres including Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Nashik, Akola, Nagpur and others. 129 centres out of 511 centres have been allotted to the mostly-populated Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which has recorded a staggering 19,274 Covid-19 fatalities and 677,220 cases in the past 10 months till date.
India is the worst-hit country by the Covid-19 pandemic with the maximum 11,200 deaths recorded so far, and the country’s commercial capital has got the largest share of 72 vaccination centres in the state.
Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner I.S. Chahal told IANS, that the first lot of the ‘Covishield’ vaccine for Covid-19 reached Mumbai early this morning.
Tope said, according to the recent plans about 100 people or nearly 7,200 in Mumbai city shall be administered the vaccine drive daily.
However, the civic staff at the BMC F /South Division office welcomed the life-saving vaccine with cheers, claps, garlands and ‘poojas’ earlier this morning. As per the prescribed Centre and state government protocols, the vaccines were taken for storage in the temperature -controlled vaccine strong room on the ground floor.
The vaccination drive to be held at 72 centres in Mumbai and the SII has given about 139,500 doses to BMC , the vaccines will be dispatched to various vaccination centres in Mumbai over the next couple of days.