No Door-To-Door Vaccination: BMC Alleges Centre Denied Permission Over Policy Absence

This update comes as Maharashtra continues to battle a fresh worrying wave of Covid-19 spread, being the worst-affected state in the nation.

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Mumbai: According to BMC, the Central government has rejected their request to allow door-to-door vaccination of senior citizens who are unable to reach vaccine centres physically due to their pre-existing conditions or ailments. 

The reason given to BMC is that there is no such policy regarding door-to-door vaccination.

A report by Mumbai Mirror has quoted Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner (health), BMC, as saying that “There are nearly 1.5 lakh people in Mumbai who are old and bedridden or handicapped and can’t move out of their house for vaccination. We had written to the Centre to allow us permission to visit them to vaccinate them, but the central officials told us that there is no such policy. It would have really helped those who are confined to their homes.’’ 

This update comes as Maharashtra continues to battle a fresh worrying wave of Covid-19 spread, being the worst-affected state in the nation.

Meanwhile, the Centre said on Tuesday stated that the coronavirus situation is "turning from bad to worse" and is a major cause of worry especially for some states. The government has emphasised that the whole country is at risk and nobody should be complacent.

According to the data shared, eight of the top 10 Covid-19 high-burden districts of the country are from Maharashtra. Besides this, Delhi which is considered as one district is also on the list.

At a press conference, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the 10 districts with maximum active COVID-19 cases are Pune (59,475), Mumbai (46,248), Nagpur (45,322), Thane (35,264), Nashik (26,553), Aurangabad (21,282), Bengaluru Urban (16,259), Nanded (15,171), Delhi (8,032), Ahmednagar (7,952).

NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul said, "COVID-19 situation is turning from bad to worse. In the last few weeks, especially in some states, it is a huge cause for worry. No state, no part of the country or district should be complacent."

"We are facing an increasingly severe and intense situation, more so surely in some districts. But the whole country is potentially at risk and therefore all efforts to contain and save lives should be taken. Hospital and ICU preparations have to be readied. If the cases increase rapidly, the healthcare system would be overwhelmed," he added.

From April 1, people above the age of 45 years will be eligible for receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Those wanting to take the jab, can register themselves in the CoWIN platform, the Aarogya Setu app or go for on-site registrations which would start after 3 pm.