A residential complex in New Town will host an on-site Covid jab programme for all eligible age groups on Tuesday, marking a baby step towards expanding the vaccination drive in the city.

About 200 residents of Siddha Pines in Rajarhat will get the jab without stepping out of their complex, courtesy an early tie-up with a private hospital.

Around 800 people live in the complex, which has 645 apartments. The on-site vaccination will start on Tuesday but a few more camps will be required to cover all eligible residents.

The vaccination room. Telegraph picture

“We have been trying to facilitate on-site programmes as many citizens, including our buyers, are unwilling to travel to clinics to get the jab. They fear they will contract Covid during their long wait at clinics. An on-site vaccination drive will allay those fears,” said Sanjay Jain, the managing director of the Siddha Group.

A member of the resident welfare association of Siddha Pines said they would use two banquet halls and a library for the programme.

“The jab will be administered in the library and the recipients will wait in the banquet halls before and after vaccination,” said Amit Bhatt, a member of the core committee of the association.

The observation room. Telegraph picture

“The vaccination will take place in batches and after every batch, the entire area used for it will be sanitised,” said Manav Mehra, the president of the association.

Bhatt had approached Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals towards the end of April, when he took his mother for the second dose, for holding the camp. The hospital gave its consent a few days later.

An official of the state health department visited the site on Saturday evening. The residents’ association of Siddha Pines got the go-ahead from the government on Monday.

Bhatt said Apollo would provide Covishield, which has been priced Rs 950 a dose. “They are charging Rs 100 a dose as convenience fee,” he added.

An official at Apollo said the hospital had received requests from many large housing complexes to hold on-site programmes. As the hospital is prioritising second dose amid very tight supply — it is administering 1,000 jabs a day on an average — these programmes would roll out slowly.

Private hospitals were carrying out on-site jab programmes for corporate houses before May 1, when the vaccination was restricted among people of age 45 or older.

Such arrangements reduced to a trickle from May 1, when Covid vaccination was opened to everyone 18 years or older.

Covid count

Bengal on Monday recorded 19,445 new infections, 134 deaths and 18,675 recoveries. The number of active cases has risen to over 1.26 lakh.

Of the 134 deaths, 34 were reported from Calcutta and 42 from North 24-Parganas. While Calcutta recorded 3,948 new infections, North 24-Parganas reported 3,971.