BEST plans to speed up vaccination of employees

The load on BEST is high as local trains are not open forall. File/Satej Shinde

As it becomes the city's new lifeline amid restricted access to local trains, BEST has stepped up efforts to keep its staff Covid-free and provide round-the-clock service ahead of the potential third wave.

While statistics reveal that BEST was safely able to dodge the second wave, the transporter has begun working on a host of measures, including anti-spitting initiatives with proposals of escalated fines and setting up "point of care" test centres and vaccination hubs.

"In addition to arranging continuous awareness sessions on Covid-appropriate behaviour, providing PPE kits, immune booster supplements and daily sanitising of vehicles and premises, for early diagnosis/ aggressive case finding, more and more point of care testing (RAT and RT-PCR) camps will be arranged at all premises of the undertaking in coordination with BMC ward offices," Dr Anilkumar Singal, pulmonologist and BEST's chief medical officer told mid-day.

The official said over 19,000 tests have already been done at 415 camps on BEST premises. "To accelerate this drive, employees with comorbidity, with recent travel history, with any of their family members hospitalised or residing in a contaminated zone will be tested on a priority basis," he said.

Singal said 2,912 BEST employees contracted Covid in the first wave and they managed to bring the figure down to 577 in the second wave. "On the vaccination front, 27,000 employees, about 80 per cent, have taken the first dose and about 17,000, which is 55 per cent, have taken both the doses," he said.

The official added, "The idea is to have a hassle-free mass vaccination drive and to accelerate it further, a special vaccination drive for employees will be arranged with the help of the BMC."

55%
Percentage of staffers who are fully vaccinated