Low Uptake: Mumbai’s Intranasal Covid-19 vaccination lags, only 117 doses administered since April

The iNCOVACC intranasal Covid-19 vaccine introduced in vaccination centres as a booster dose this year, by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai has not garnered enthusiastic uptake among beneficiaries.

Since July 25, there has not been a single taker for the intranasal vaccine in the BMC-run Covid Vaccination Centers (CVCs).

The number of beneficiaries has not changed since July 25. According to BMC data, up to October 16, only 117 individuals have received this intranasal vaccine in Mumbai. Since July 25, there have been no takers for the intranasal vaccine in the CVCs.

The data shared by the BMC in an RTI (Right to Information) application highlighted that a total of 2,000 vaccine stocks were made available in Mumbai from January this year. And until August 29, only two doses of the vaccine from the stock were wasted.

Around 1,882 vaccine doses have remained unused in CVCs since July.

Further, the data revealed that the majority of vaccines distributed in BMC-run CVCs are concentrated in specific wards. L ward, consisting of Kurla area, leads with 140 vaccines distributed, followed by the P-North ward, covering Malad (W), and M-East ward, covering Govandi, with 120 vaccines each. Additionally, the K-East and K-West wards, covering Andheri, Vile Parle, and Jogeshwari areas, along with the S ward, covering the Mulund area, have distributed 100 vaccines in each ward.

On the inaugural day, April 28, 23 beneficiaries received the iNCOVACC nasal vaccine at eight centres. Besides senior citizens, the BMC-run centres started providing nasal vaccines to frontline workers and healthcare workers in June. Of the 117 recipients, 106 beneficiaries are senior citizens (over 60 years of age), 10 are healthcare workers, and one frontline worker.

Experts state that a drastic reduction in the number of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai is one of the reasons why people are not opting for the booster dose.

Speaking about why people are not opening up for the intranasal booster dose, Dr Gautam Bhansali, who was in charge of all private Covid-19 hospitals in Mumbai during the peak of the pandemic, said, "There are a few reasons why the beneficiaries are not opting for it. One of the main reasons is the decline in Covid-19 cases. Secondly, most of the cases today have mild symptoms of Covid. Their major symptoms are usually the seasonal flu, due to which the citizens are in a relaxed state. Also, the intranasal vaccines usually cause irritation."

"Rather than opting for a new vaccine in the form of a booster dose, beneficiaries usually opt for the same vaccine dose that they had earlier taken, e.g., Covovax or Covishield. Rarely, people opt for mix-and-match vaccines," added Dr Gautam Bhansali from Bombay Hospital.

Dr Hansika Kapoor, a research author from the Department of Psychology at Monk Prayogshala in Mumbai, said, "A large number of individuals know that either themselves or some of their family members have previously contracted Covid-19. As a result, they presume they possess sufficient antibodies to combat the virus. To encourage an increase in the uptake of booster doses, a clear and informative explanation about why continuous protection via vaccines is crucial. There exist several misperceptions regarding why vaccines continue to be necessary among the public. It's important to convey the significance of booster doses, especially with the ongoing mutation of new Covid variants, even during periods of relatively low reported cases."

Mid-day tried reaching out to Dr Daksha Shah, BMC's executive health officer, but she was not available for comment.

As per BMC, the expiration date of these vaccine doses is May 31, 2024. Besides CVCs, a large amount of stock (280 doses) is stored at the Regional Vaccine Store.

Number of centres providing nasal vaccine dose facilities:

The vaccines are available across all BMC wards in the city. Beneficiaries can avail of the nasal vaccine in BMC-run CVCs across Mumbai. No prior online registration is required for the precautionary dose. All beneficiaries can avail of the nasal vaccine through on-spot registration.

Covid-19 cases in Mumbai and Maharashtra:

Mumbai has been reporting single-digit cases for the past week, and most of the cases are asymptomatic. On Sunday, the city reported three new Covid-19 cases and zero deaths. Whil on Monday, Mumbai reported zero new cases. Around 24 active coronavirus cases have been reported in the city. According to the October 16 data, 49 tests were conducted in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra recorded only two new cases on Monday. The case fatality rate in the state is 1.81 per cent.

Since January 1, 2023, 131 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in Maharashtra. 70.99 per cent of these deaths have occurred in individuals above 60 years of age, 83 per cent of the deceased had comorbidities; and 17 per cent did not have any comorbidity.

At present, the dominant variant of Covid is Omicron XBB.1.16. In Maharashtra, a total of 1,733 cases were found to be infected with this variant. There were 19 deaths reported among the cases of this variant.