Mumbai: Covid-19 vaccination opens for students headed abroad for studies

People wait to get vaccinated at G A Kulkarni School in Khar on Thursday. Pic/Ashish Raje

With the load of the second dose easing, the BMC has decided to allow beneficiaries aged between 45 years and 59 years to register at the centres for Covid-19 vaccination from Monday to Wednesday. The vaccines will be available only after online registration from Thursday to Saturday.

Though the vaccination of people in the 18-44 years category was paused earlier this month, students who have to go abroad for studies will be able to get vaccinated after producing valid documents at the centres in the city. The decisions were taken in a meeting on Friday. "Vaccines are necessary for travelling and staying abroad. So we will start allowing students with valid documents," said a BMC official.

Students need to produce an admission confirmation letter and I-20 or DS-160 form for a foreign visa from their overseas university. The vaccines will be given at Kasturba, Rajawadi and Cooper centres only.

Also Read: Mumbai: Covid-19 vaccinations in May went down by 50 per cent

The state government on May 12 put on hold the immunisation of beneficiaries aged between 18 years and 44 years citing unavailability of enough vaccines and the need to prioritise those waiting for their second dose. But the load started to ease after the Centre increased the gap between two doses of Covishield.

Meanwhile, a total of 43,181 people were vaccinated against novel Coronavirus on Friday. Out of them, 41,192 received their first dose, and 20,454 of them aged between 18 years and 44 years who were all vaccinated at private centres.

A total of 16,979 beneficiaries were in the 45-59 years age group while 5,447 were senior citizens, and 24 lactating mothers were also vaccinated. Out of the total 43,181 doses, 3,291 were Covaxin and the rest were Covishield.

As per the BMC's data, out of 11 lakh senior citizens, 8.53 lakh have taken their first dose, whereas, of the 19 lakh citizens in the 45-59 years age group, 9 lakh have still not turned up.

"When BMC allowed walk-in facility for senior citizens, about 7,000 of them came every day. Looking at the gloomy response among the 45-59 years age group, we have allowed walk-in facility," said BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal.