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India fights Covid: Maharashtra to start vaccinating mentally ill patients without ID cards

Mumbai - It will also cover people at old age homes and rehab centres, beggars, nomads and others without ID cards.

Maharashtra will start vaccinating mental illness patients from Wednesday, irrespective of whether they have identification proof. Gradually, it will also cover people at old age homes and rehab centres, beggars, nomads and others without ID cards.

Last week, the government began vaccinating patients with IDs at the Thane and Ratnagiri mental care hospitals. But only about 40 of the 2,453 patients got vaccinated. There are four such hospitals in the state including in Thane, Ratnagiri, Pune and Nagpur. There are nearly 1,400 men and over a thousand women patients at these hospitals.

According to government sources, more than 7,200 patients (both resident and OPDs) have been tested for Covid-19; and 763 have tested positive. Four patients succumbed to the ailment, 78 had to be hospitalised and 141 cases are still active.

Union minister Ramdas Athavale has demanded that beggars and the homeless should also be vaccinated. “There are thousands of beggars and homeless people in the country,” he said. The inoculation drive should start in Mumbai, he added.

Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar said the civic body is considering vaccinating beggars and homeless, most of who do not have Aadhar cards and other documents that are a must for registering for Covid vaccinations. “With a third Covid-19 wave expected, we should not let vulnerable people suffer and must help them immediately,” she added.