Mumbai started its COVID-19 door-to-door vaccination campaign on Friday in the western suburb of Jogeshwari with the help of the NGO Project Mumbai. Started as a pilot project by the Maharashtra government, the government will share its progress report with the Bombay High Court by August 6.
The Maharashtra government had appealed to the Centre and was awaiting approval to begin home inoculation for those who are above the age of 75, specially-abled and immobile or bedridden. While awaiting the Centre's approval, two lawyers also filed a litigation with the Bombay High Court.
On June 29, the High Court bench comprising of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni asked the state why it was waiting for the Centre to make a decision. " Why do you need the Centre's approval? Health is a state subject, too," the judges explained.
Following this, the Maharashtra government filed an affidavit proposing this pilot home vaccination for the bedridden and the immobile. Responding to this affidavit, the judges said, "The Union Government did not rise to occasion. However, the state government has risen to the occasion and today there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
The pilot project was initially planned for Pune but was later shifted to Mumbai after the city received a larger volume of people opting for the home vaccination.
This facility is only available for those who are bedridden or immobile for more than six months or are suffering a terminal illness. While registering, the family members of the recipient will have to show proof of the recipient being bedridden for more than six months. Along with this, the family will also have to share that the recipient has consented to take the vaccine through a letter.
The state government will be administering Covaxin to the recipients. Both the doses, one month apart will be provided by the BMC for free.
How To Register
The Maharashtra government has shared an email id where the family can register details of the bedridden members. It will then forward the details to the respective districts and municipal corporations.
For registering, write to covidvacc2bedridden@gmail.com. The email should consist the name, age, sex, address, consent form, reason for immobility, and proof that the person has been bedridden for six months, and contact number. The BMC has already made note of 4,466 bedridden residents as of July 29.
The BMC will then contact the concerned person and schedule a visit once the pilot project is fully undertaken by the state government.