108 mobile teams aid mega Covid-19 vaccination drive in Tiruchy city

TIRUCHY: The city Corporation on Saturday conducted a mega Covid-19 vaccination drive at 180 places in the city. Unlike the previous camps, the Corporation allocated more mobile teams to reach out to more residents. Officials said the civic body allocated 108 mobile teams for the drive. The drive started at 9 am and continued till 5 pm.

"This week, we directed our teams to focus on 180 locations. Out of these, camps were set up in 72 locations, and the rest were covered by the mobile teams. We have decided to allocate more mobile teams as we found that only a few are visiting the camps set up at school, primary health centres or other locations," a senior Corporation official said.

In high footfall areas like markets and bus stands, the health team was found moving with vaccination kits. The Corporation's efforts came in for appreciation from residents. "As we are not having any spike in cases, residents have lost their fear about the virus. Therefore, people are unlikely to visit a camp set up in a school or other public places. So, this strategy might help the Corporation increase vaccination coverage through allocation of more mobile teams. This would also be helpful for senior citizens," said M Annamalai, a senior citizen.

Officials said their Covid-19 team also tried to get in touch with those avoiding the vaccine. "Our team will reach out to those avoiding the second dose and clear their doubts. Our teams are trying their best to ensure vaccination of maximum number of people and share the details of nearest vaccination camps and
mobile teams in all the areas. We also used the announcement system in garbage collection vehicles to inform the residents in all wards about the vaccination drive. Our team also shared the details of camps on various social media platforms. If this strategy works, we will allocate more mobile teams for the
upcoming camps," a health officer said.