COVID-19 Vaccination: How long will it take to cover Mumbai's adult population?

Latest survey by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has revealed that at least 25 per cent of the people who are getting vaccinated in the city every day are not residents of Mumbai.

Hence, despite administering nearly 51 lakh doses, BMC does not have an actual picture of how many Mumbaikars have taken the vaccine. Therefore, the question that most people are asking is - how long will it take to cover the entire adult population of Mumbai?

A cursory look at vaccination numbers shows Mumbai has inoculated more than neighbouring areas. Thane district has administered only 24.22 lakh doses, less than half of Mumbai, while at Palghar it’s a little over six lakh.

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However, the civic body, in an informal analysis, found that at certain centres, nearly a third of the doses are being administered to residents of Thane, Navi Mumbai, Dombivli, Karjat, Panvel, Palghar and Vasai-Virar.

Many live in MMR but work in Mumbai, and demand vaccination here, which is not a completely illegitimate demand, said an official He further that this trend is not just applicable in case of vaccination but has been a norm in even for other aspects of healthcare.

Mumbai administered 50.93 lakh doses till Saturday, June 26. Of which, 9.85 lakh people got both doses while 31.21 lakh received one.

Expert peg that around 10 per cent of the city’s estimated adult population of 93.48 lakhs should be fully vaccinated by now and roughly 32 per cent have got at least one jab. However, there is no way to know the city’s real coverage as many beneficiaries are residents of MMR, admitted BMC’s health officer.

Meanwhile, a senior civic official said since CoWin is universal and does not provide a break-up of vaccinations based on residential addresses, it is not possible to find out the city’s real coverage. One can book a centre anywhere online as there is no control over who gets vaccinated at which place.

Also Read: Mumbai Vaccination Scam: More than 2,000 people duped, informs Maharashtra govt