After the state government’s order, the Bhrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has initiated the process of identifying spaces for cold storage facilities for storing the vaccine as well as zeroing in on the buildings that will be used as vaccination centres.
On November 30, the civic body announced that it has started preparing for the cold storage facilities for coronavirus vaccine in Mumbai.
The municipal corporation is converting the first floor, measuring 5,000 square feet, in a five-storey civic building opposite the Kanjurmarg police station into a cold storage facility. According to reports, the facility will be ready by December 15. Moreover, the BMC has also collated the names along with email address and phone numbers of over 1.25 lakh health workers from the public and private sector, who will be given a priority to receive the vaccine.
Currently, Mumbai has over 300 ice lined refrigerators in every dispensary and health post that are utilised for routine immunisation like polio, measles and rubella. Existing vaccines cannot be stored along with COVID-19 vaccine due to differences in temperature required to store them.
In Mumbai, the main storage centre until now for polio vaccines is the Parel office, where the executive health office is headquartered. Similarly, the Kanjurmarg facility will serve as an exclusive point for COVID-19 vaccines. The civic officials said they have a ready set-up to support Astra Zeneca Oxford vaccine that requires 2-8 degrees Celsius temperature to store.
Once a vaccine is approved, KEM, Sion, Nair, and Dr RN Cooper hospital will serve as vaccination points for doctors, nurses, hospital staff and private doctors in the first phase. In Nair hospital, Astra-Zeneca vaccine is currently in use for the clinical trial.
Meanwhile, in the second phase, BMC plans to rope in two dispensaries or health posts from each ward as vaccination point. The 48 vaccination points across 24 wards will be equally divided in east and west region of the wards.
The state health ministry will prepare a list of healthcare workers across Maharashtra for vaccination by December 6. So far, 98 per cent of health workers in the public sector and 75 per cent in the private sector have been registered for vaccination. The process of identifying vaccinators — mainly interns, medical students, auxiliary nurse midwives— in different districts to vaccinate people has also started. Committees at district level have been formed to prepare local vaccination plan in coordination with state vaccination committee.
Of the three seats, Bhandup and Kanjurmarg have been identified. Being close to the city, it will be convenient for large vehicles to come and go. This will make it easier to supply vaccines in and around Mumbai and even for other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation had in the last few days focused on corona testing of people who come in contact with more and more people. Accordingly, shopkeepers, peddlers, bus drivers and conductors working in the market are being tested free of cost.
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