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MUMBAI: The state Covid taskforce and the newly constituted paediatric taskforce have jointly appealed to the state government to immunise every child with the influenza vaccine ahead of monsoon. At a meeting held on Sunday, doctors from both groups told CM Uddhav Thackeray that administering the influenza vaccine would help curb the incidence of this disease, which in turn will help decongest hospitals and prevent unnecessary testing.
While the influenza shot that contains two subtypes of influenza A and two lineages of influenza B is widely available in market, it is not a part of the vaccines given under the national immunisation programme. The vaccine costs Rs 1,500-Rs2,000 for a single shot.