KMC to allot more time for giving 2nd vaccine dose to beneficiaries

kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has allotted more time to inoculate those people whose second dose is due.

The move comes with the majority of the city's population having received their first vaccine dose.

The second dose will be offered from the urban primary health centres and mega centres in the city from 10 am to 2 pm while the first dose will be administered from 2 pm to 4 pm.

"The first dose is almost over for the people in the city, expect for a section who are not interested to receive the jab. While, more than 1.40 lakh people's second dose have become due in the city. So, we have decided to allocate more time for second dose," Firhad Hakim, chairman Board of Administrators, KMC said.

The KMC is reaching out to those people whose second dose have become due through WhatsApp, sms, phone calls and even making door-to-door visits so that they turn up at the vaccine centres and take their second dose.

There are sections of people from other states too who have taken their first dose under KMC.

"We are also reaching out to these people and asking them to come to the centres from where they have received their first dose," Hakim said.

A senior official of KMC's Health department said the stock of Covaxin with the KMC is less than that of Covishield.

But as there is greater demand of Covishield than Covaxin, the stock issue will not affect the vaccination drive at least for the next few days.

There are 142 urban primary health centres and 24 mega centres of KMC from where vaccines are being offered.

More than 65 lakh people in Kolkata have been vaccinated among which 44.76 lakh have got the first dose while 20.64 lakh have received both doses.