Covid vaccination drive in Chennai picks up pace again

CHENNAI: The Chennai corporation’s vaccination drive has picked up pace again as it administered the doses to 34,094 persons on Friday, taking the total number of persons vaccinated to 20.87 lakh; around 25 per cent of the city’s population. 

This comes after a five-day-slump with merely 4,866 receiving the vaccine on June 2 and 5,996 on June 1.  The city corporation has been maintaining an average of 25,000-35,000 vaccinations per day, though it initially targeted 50,000-60,000 doses per day.

The corporation is currently vaccinating newspaper distributors, milk suppliers, delivery executives, agents, roadside vendors, employees in grocery stores and pharmacies, auto, car and bus drivers, electricity board staff, local body staff, government staff, construction workers, those working in essential industries, teachers in schools and colleges, transport department staff, those working in ships and airlines between the ages of 18-45 and all those over 45 years of age.

Seven-day-old baby tests Covid positive
Thoothukudi: A seven-day old baby boy has tested positive for COVID-19 at Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital. Sources said that the baby’s mother, Muthukani, who belongs to Davispuram here, had tested positive and was admitted to the hospital for delivery a fortnight ago. On May 29, she delivered a baby boy. TKMCH Dean Dr Nehru told TNIE that even though the baby tested negative when tested on day five after birth, he tested positive on day seven, on Friday. The baby has been shifted to neonatal intensive care unit, where it is kept under observation. The baby is safe and stable, sources said. 

Active cases in Chennai dips to 5%
As the number of new Covid cases in Chennai continues to decline, overall active case percentage in the city has dipped to 5. The city now has 26,722 active cases, while 4,79,145 people have been discharged so far, according to data provided by the Chennai Corporation. As of June 4, all the Corporation zones reported an active case rate of below 10 per cent, with Royapuram recording least of 4 per cent. City has also upped its vaccination drive.  Officials said that they were expecting more vaccine for the 18-44 age group. “We may get more doses from June 6accinations,” said officials.