‘96% of patients on O2 beds in Mumbai didn’t even take 1 jab’

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Richa.Pinto@timesgroup.com

13.01.2022

Mumbai: BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal on Friday said that vaccination works and civic data shows that 96% of the 1,900-odd patients on oxygen beds in Mumbai have not taken even a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, the BMC has decided that unlike the first and second waves where positivity was the benchmark to impose a lockdown or restrictions, in the third wave further curbs would be imposed only if there is a burden of high hospitalisation rate and steep rise in oxygen usage.

“Ninety-six per cent of the patients who are admitted on oxygen beds in 186 hospitals of Mumbai are unvaccinated. Otherwise, we have seen so far that vaccinated people are not reaching ICUs. We have 21 lakh vaccine stock available with us. The current hurdle in ensuring the entire adult population is vaccinated is the 84-day gap required between the two doses. Today, too, our vaccination percentage is the best in India,” Chahal said in a TV interview. He said people should not think of the Omicron variant as a flu, adding if unvaccinated it definitely can take an infected person to the ICU.

The BMC has administered both the doses to more than one crore people in Mumbai while close to 90 lakh have received one vaccine shot.

Chahal also reiterated further restrictions would be imposed in the third wave only if there is a burden of hospitalisations and oxygen use increases steeply. On Covid-related deaths, Chahal said they were in control with 19 deaths in the past 16 days.