For the first time since Tamil Nadu began vaccination, it received a consignment of 53.40 lakh doses of Covishield by road from Pune on Monday.
“Until now, we have received the vaccines from Pune and Hyderabad only by air,” Health Minister Ma Subramanian said after inspecting the vaccine storage station on the premises of the Directorate of Medical Services at Teynampet.
At Sunday’s mega vaccination camp, around 16.40 lakh people were inoculated. “The door-to-door vaccination programme is going on well, and the Union Government is happy with our efforts. As a result, it has made us a generous allocation,” he told reporters.
The Minister said he, along with the Director of Public Health and the Health Secretary, held a videoconference with district health officials and impressed on them the need to administer 7-8 lakh doses a day as against the current average of three lakh doses.
The officials had been instructed to identify those requiring the first dose and administer the vaccine to the 70 lakh persons due for the second dose.
He said 50,000 centres would be put up for the ninth mega vaccine camp to be conducted next week.
So far, 6,00,60,291 persons have been vaccinated in the State. At 2,041 sessions held on Monday, 48,274 persons were inoculated. Among them were 45 healthcare workers; 37 frontline workers; 30,294 people aged 18-44; 12,262 persons aged 45-59; and 5,636 senior citizens.
Since May 1, 26,96,183 persons have been vaccinated at private centres.
