COVID-19 vaccine shortage hits immunisation drive in Mumbai

Several vaccination centres across Mumbai, including a jumbo COVID-19 facility in business district BKC, suspended inoculation on Friday morning due to a shortage of doses, BMC sources said.

The remaining centres are likely to suspend the vaccination drive by afternoon or evening as the available stock is fast depleting, according to the sources.

Also read: Maharashtra COVID-19 surge: What we know so far

Meanwhile, Mumbai is expected to get up to 1.80 lakh fresh doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Friday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) executive health officer Mangala Gomare told PTI.

According to the sources, as many as 75 of the 120 centres, mainly at private hospitals, suspended vaccination on Friday morning due to unavailability of doses, while some other centres suspended the drive within a few hours after the stock got over.

The jumbo COVID-19 centre at BKC, where the civic body has set up a mega inoculation facility, also suspended vaccination after administering less than 200 doses available in stock, a doctor from the centre said.

On Thursday, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar had told PTI that due to a shortage of doses, the vaccination drive will come to halt at all centres in Mumbai from Friday, and sought immediate supplies to replenish the existing stock.

Also read: Inoculation drive halted in Maharashtra’s Panvel due to unavailability of vaccines

The civic body of Mumbai had claimed it had suspended vaccination at 25 centres in private hospitals on Thursday due to unavailability of doses.

Asked about the situation, Gomare said the centres where vaccine doses have run out of stock have suspended the drive, but exact details were not available.