Covid Vaccine Pune Update and News - *Updated 6 May 2021*

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Updated 6 May 2021

Pune—the Oxford of the East—has already reported 8,89,629 cases and thousands more are being reported every day. With the fatality count spiralling above 9,863, Pune, unfortunately, remains one of the worst-hit cities in India.

Many are understandably hoping that the deployment of the vaccine would spell the beginning of the end of the pandemic. What are the latest developments in Pune?

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Updates on the COVID vaccine in Pune

Pune, Maharashtra’s second-largest city after Mumbai, was inoculating around 25,000-27,000 people per day when it faced a shortage of vaccines. So far, the city has vaccinated around 8.4 lakh people. Out of these, around 7 lakh doses were Serum Institute of India Ltd.’s Covishield and the remaining Bharat Biotech International Ltd.’s Covaxin.

What vaccines are available now?

Oxford-AstraZeneca or Covishield

The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, also going by the moniker of Covidshield in India, would likely also be authorized for emergency use in the country by the end of the year. Phase 2/3 trials of the vaccine are underway in a joint effort by the Serum Institute of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is closely reviewing all the data from the vaccine’s application in its third phase of trials.

Overall efficacy: around 90%

COVAXIN

Developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), COVAXIN is India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate to undergo phase 3 trials. This inactivated coronavirus vaccine has been injected in around 28,500 volunteer candidates in over 25 centers across India. Data from the previous trials show that it is safe and promisingly efficient. The vaccine can induce antibodies that can neutralize even the UK strain and other heterologous strains.

Overall efficacy: 80.6%

Sputnik V

Sputnik V got approved by DCGI on 13 April and will soon become available for distribution.

Russia’s Sputnik V has also conducted a combined phase two-three trial in India. This has been under the initiative of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) which went into a distribution partnership with the firm in September. Now approved, it will be manufactured domestically in the country by five different companies.

Overall efficacy: 95%

When can Pune residents be vaccinated?

Like the rest of the country, vaccination in Pune will be carried out in three phases:

Phase 1 focused on health care and front-line workers (This phase included around 52,700 healthcare workers.)
Phase 2 was for senior citizens and those above 45 suffering from comorbidities.
Phase 3 includes everyone above 45 years of age, irrespective of health status.
Phase 4 includes everyone above the age of 18.

In accordance with the nationwide vaccination program, Phase 4 of the mass inoculation drive has begun on May 1. However Shimla residents in the 18-45 age group may have to wait longer for their turn until new supplies arrive.

Where to get vaccinated in Pune?

Initially, the Pune Municipal Corporation had identified only 16 vaccination centres in the city, 12 being government hospitals and research centres, while 4 were private hospitals.

However, this number has scaled up to 109 government centres and 73 private centres.

Check the full list of COVID-19 vaccination centres in Pune city here.

How to register for vaccination in Pune?

Appointments for vaccination can be booked through the CoWIN website or the Aarogya Setu app.

Keep in mind that every user of either platform can register at the most 4 beneficiaries.

CoWIN

Open the CoWIN online portal.
Click on the ‘Register/Sign In Yourself’ yellow button. Those who are using it for the first time will need to register themselves with their photo ID proof (Aadhar Card/ Driving License/ PAN Card/ Passport/ Pension Passbook), photo ID number, name, and birth year. Those who have registered can sign in with an OTP.
Click on ‘Schedule Appointment’.
Once you enter the pin code of your area, you’ll be shown a list of vaccination centres in that area of Pune.
Select the timing slot comfortable for you and ‘confirm’ your appointment.

Aarogya Setu

Download the app on Google Play or iOS App Store.
On the app’s homepage, click on the ‘CoWIN’ tab on the top right.
Select the ‘Register Now’ option and verify your mobile number with an OTP.
Fill in details such as name, age, gender, year of birth, etc, and upload a photo ID proof.
Search for your convenient vaccination centre in Pune by entering the pin code of your locale, and choose the date and time of your appointment.

Upon successful registration, you will receive an SMS with the appointment details.