BENGALURU: Having administered nearly 35 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses since January, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on Monday said it aims to inoculate 30 lakh people over the next one month and private hospitals are expected to share twothirds of the burden.
BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta said they will intensify the drive in the coming days and focus on people above 60 years of age and the unvaccinated.
He said there are no issues with vaccine supplies and private players have joined hands with the civic agency.
In the past week, private hospitals shared 70% of the vaccination burden.
“If we see the last week’s trend, we administered nearly a lakh of vaccines every day.
Inclusion of private hospitals and other donors has increased the numbers.
There is adequate supply of vaccines and we are aiming to administer 30 more lakh vaccines in the next 30 days,” he said.
The Covid-19 vaccination execution in Bengaluru appears lopsided given the burden private hospitals are bearing.
‘Will vaccinate max people before 3rd wave’The Centre’s policy had mandated that vaccine producers must sell 50% of their production to the Union government, 25% each to states and private parties.
In the past week, private hospitals have overtaken the government in the vaccination drive and provided 70% of doses administered.
According to BBMP data, 1.6 lakh vaccines were provided by BBMP in the past week, whereas private hospitals have given 4.1 lakh jabs.
Asked about the gap in numbers between government and private hospitals, Gupta said, “Our foremost goal is to vaccinate as many as people as possible before the start of the third wave.
Whatever the government has received has been shared judiciously and BBMP has got its share.
Private players who have ordered the jabs have vaccinated more people in Bengaluru city than elsewhere.
There are many philanthropists who are buying vaccines for the underprivileged.
The state government, at its level, would have to equitably distribute its stocks to all places in the state, whereas a city like Bengaluru would be recipient of more private supplies because of people’s capacity to pay.” “We are working for a judicious mix of government supply of vaccines and of private supplies.
Considering the present trend, we are optimistic of getting 30 lakh doses in the city, of which we estimate 8-10 lakhs may be from government supplies,” Gupta said.
According to him, offices, institutions and resident welfare associations are tying up with private hospitals to hold vaccination drives for their communities and some donors are doing it for people living in slums, garment workers and unorganised workers.
Gupta said, “The administration has identified 26 lakh people above the age of 45 and15.4lakhhavebeen vaccinated at least one dose till date.
Close to 60% have been vaccinated and our target is to reach 75% in the next 30 days.
We need 4 lakh additional doses and we will get it from the central government.” BBMP said they have identified 64 lakh in the 18-44 age group and only 9 lakh (or 13%) have been vaccinated.
On third wave, he said major hospitals have created oxygen plants and setting up child care centres.