BMC to start rolling out third precautionary doses from Jan 10

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday said that it will start administering the third ‘precautionary’ dose of Covid-19 vaccine to health and frontline workers and citizens above 60 years of age with comorbidities from January 10 onwards.

The BMC has said that an individual who has completed nine months or 39 weeks since the second dose will be eligible to take the third dose. The municipal corporation also maintained that a person needs to take the same vaccine for the third dose which they have taken earlier. Which means, if an individual has been administered with Covishield then they will have to take Covishield only and not any other vaccination.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner and in-charge of public health in BMC said that the third dose will be administered in all the operational vaccination centres across Mumbai. He shared that for the time being no dedicated booths will be required for inoculating beneficiaries exclusively with third dose.

“At present, the footfall for general public is really low at the vaccination centres, as majority of the population are vaccinated. Which is why we are not starting any dedicated booths for the time being and have decided to wait and watch for now,” Kakani said.

Both online and walk-in facilities will be made available for the precautionary doses and eligible citizens by the BMC. Citizens can also get their doses from private hospitals as well.

The BMC on Saturday also informed that the online registration window has opened from January 8 and incase if an eligible frontline or health-worker who is less than 60 years of age is unable to get registered online then he/she will be have to register on spot by displaying their identity cards.

“Those who are under 60 years of age is categorised as general citizens so they need to register themselves first at government centres physically by showing their proof of occupation. If they wish to take the dose in a private centre then they will have to first come at government centre for registration and then go to private centre to take the dose as the registration facility is unavailable at private centres,” the BMC statement said.

“The senior citizens taking the precautionary dose will also have to display a doctor’s document and consent certificate as a proof of comorbidity,” said the statement.

Kakani also informed, “At present we can say that only 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh citizens have finished their nine month window, which is why we are not expecting a high footfall on the first day itself. But as time will progess, more people will become eligible for their dose.”