Mumbai civic body gets nod to explore global procurement of Covid vaccines

Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray on Monday said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will explore possibilities of global procurement of COVID vaccines to meet the inoculation demand.

"Looking at the need for adequate vaccines to ensure that vaccination is swift and efficient, after discussing the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, as guardian minister of Mumbai, we have asked BMC to explore possibilities of global procurement of vaccines," tweeted Aditya Thackeray.

The state government is also working on a method to ensure that the non-tech-savvy citizens and those who cannot operate the Cowin app with ease, and for their access to vaccines in time.

It is also trying to increase vaccination centres and BMC will be having a centre in every municipal ward, along with a drive-in vaccination centre across all zones of Mumbai, he said, adding that the BMC has also issued guidelines for vaccination policy of housing societies with a partnership with hospitals for vaccination within society complexes.

He requested all other cities in Maharashtra to also have the drive-in vaccination for citizens above the age of 65 for their ease and comfort.

Maharashtra reported 37,236 new COVID-19 cases and 549 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the state public health department on Monday.

Meanwhile, the active number of COVID cases in Maharashtra stands at 5,90,818, while the death toll stands at 76,398.