Only 17 per cent of Mumbai’s kids have taken Covid-19 vaccination shot

A young girl gets vaccinated for Covid-19 at BYL Nair Hospital. Pic/Ashish Raje

The response to the vaccination drive for 12 to 14 years old, which began a month ago, continues to be underwhelming with only 17 per cent having taken the first dose in Mumbai. BMC officials said that the ongoing school examinations and vaccine hesitancy were responsible for the low turnout.

In terms of adult vaccinations, Mumbai is the only city in the state to achieve 100 per cent target with 92,36,500 people having received both the doses. But, when it comes to vaccinating 12 to 14 year olds, the city sits at the bottom, when compared to other neighbouring districts like Thane, Palghar and Raigad.

The drive for vaccinating children began on March 16. Of the 3,95,883 beneficiaries in the age group, only 66,345 (16.76 per cent) have taken the first dose, while 275 (0.07 per cent) have taken the second dose of the vaccine. In Thane, 31 per cent have taken the first dose, while in Palghar and Raigad, 37 and 59 per cent have taken the first dose respectively.

Speaking with mid-day, an official from the BMC health department said, "The response has been low since the beginning, and despite all our efforts, we are still lagging behind. We are in constant touch with schools and are conducting camps, too. We even called up societies to organise camps on their premises. It is up to parents, we can't force them."

In Maharashtra, out of 39,19,000 beneficiaries, 18,57,158 (46.84 per cent) have already taken the first dose of the vaccine, while 1,104 have taken both doses. Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, "The vaccination drive for kids started during the exam period due to which the response has been low. Since COVID cases are also low in the city, parents are not sure if they want their children to get vaxxed. We are doing our best."