In a massive jump in vaccination, more than 2.17 lakh people were administered the shot on Thursday, the highest recorded in the State so far. This was three times the number recorded on Wednesday, a holiday on account of Tamil New Year, and nearly 40-50 per cent more than the number of vaccinations on Monday and Tuesday.
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Chennai:
The sharpest increase was in the category of beneficiaries between 45-60 years without comorbidities, with 1,15,970 receiving either Covishield or Covaxin. As on Thursday, the State has administered 43,90,629 doses, said the data released by the State Health Department.
Meanwhile, to cover all eligible beneficiaries aged above 45 by April 25 as part of the “Tika Utsav”, the department is stepping up the vaccination drive and warned district level officials of action if there was any negligence on their part.
The Deputy Directors of Health Services have been instructed to ensure complete vaccination those above 45 years within that time. Pointing out that it was crucial in view of the surge in cases, Dr TS Selvavinayagam, director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said specific targets were fixed for district officials based on the number of eligible beneficiaries.
Negligence in vaccination administration or failure to vaccinate beneficiaries would lead to action, he warned.
Greater Chennai Corporation officials were instructed to work with the department to deploy staff to conduct more fever camps. Officials said private hospitals and clinical establishments are being encouraged to ensure vaccination of more number of people across all age groups.
Several private hospitals have also come forward to support the drive. As part of the initiative, Vijaya Group of Hospitals recently launched mobile teams to make vaccination drive more accessible for bank employees. On similar lines, Apollo Hospitals has initiated a vaccination drive in Chennai for corporate organisations.
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