BMC and government COVID-19 vaccination centres to remain shut on June 3; here's why

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday, June 2 announced that the vaccination drive on Thursday, June 3, will remain suspended due to non-availability of COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Taking it to Twitter, the BMC wrote, “Please note that all BMC and government vaccination centres will be closed on June 3, 2021. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please watch this space for updates regarding vaccination centres and schedules.”

Dear Mumbaikars,

Please note that all BMC and Government vaccination centers will be closed tomorrow (June 3, 2021).

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Please watch this space for updates regarding vaccination centres and schedules #MyBMCvaccinationUpdate

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) June 2, 2021

The civic body tweet did not mention any reason for the suspension of inoculation drive, however, a BMC official was quoted by ANI saying that due to lack of adequate doses, the municipal and government vaccination centres will not be functional on June 3.

Also Read: 24-hour vaccination drive could begin in Maharashtra from June: CM Uddhav Thackeray

This comes a day after Mumbai Guardian minister Aaditya Thackeray held a review meeting with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday, May 31, to expedite the immunization of coronavirus in the city. In the meeting, which was held at BMC headquarters, discussions were held on the availability of vaccines as well as what can be done to speed up vaccination in the city.

The BMC said it was expecting to receive vaccines anytime throughout the day on June 3. Thereafter, the inoculation drive will resume the next day (June 4). Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry said that over 1.64 crore coronavirus vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs. As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Centre has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them vaccines free of cost.

Besides, Maharashtra is slated to receive six million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in June. Out of these six million doses, four million will be allocated by the Centre and two million will be bought by the state to vaccinate people between 18 and 44 years.

According to data released by the BMC, as of Wednesday, June 2, Mumbai’s coronavirus case count stands at 7,08,007 while the overall death toll is 14,938. Moreover, a total of 33,24,428 citizens were administered COVID-19 vaccine doses in Mumbai till June 1.

Also Read: Centre Planning to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations to 1 Crore Per Day by Mid-July