Bombay Hospital seeks BMC's nod to provide COVID-19 vaccine till 10 pm

A police official receives COVID-19 vaccine at Nair Hospital. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, Marine Lines Bombay Hospital has sought the civic body's permission to carry out vaccination for extended hours.

While several civic centres have said that they could start the drive early in the day and continue till late evening, there seems to be a roadblock as the Co-Win app doesn't allow sessions beyond 5 pm-6 pm.

Speaking to Times of India, BMC officials said vaccines can't be given on an offline mode as it will mean huge backend work. Dr. Gautam Bhansali of Bombay Hospital said they can vaccinate people till 10 pm, which could allow many to come after office hours. "The BMC chief has agreed to it in principle," Dr. Bhansali added.

Last week, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan assured that the government had done away with the 9 am-5 pm time. Although the minister had said that recipients can take the vaccine round the clock, the change has not been completely implemented. Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said the Co-Winn app still doesn't allow vaccinations beyond 5 pm-6 pm.

"Once the app shuts, we can't check beneficiaries or administer doses. Initially, even we wanted to start vaccination in two shifts so more
people could be covered, but we haven't managed due to the app restrictions," Kakani said. He also said that the Bombay Hospital was yet to submit a written request and they would require approval from the Centre as well.

According to BMC's sources, the city's 60 centres administered a record number of 37,309 vaccine doses on Saturday. Civic officials said they are trying to push the number to 50,000.

Among the centres run by the civic body, the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC's) jumbo hospital vaccination centre witnesses the most footfall with an average of 4,000 people daily. The centre sees people queue up for vaccination from 6.30 am. "If the app allows, we can start from 7 am and go on till 10 pm. Two shifts can double daily coverage," said dean Dr. Rajesh Dere.