Covid-19: Tamil Nadu vaccinated 86.95% of population with first dose, says state health minister

Minister of State Ma Subramanian said Tamil Nadu has vaccinated 86.95 per cent of the population with the first dose of vaccination against Covid-19 covering 4,20,098 people during the 17th mega immunization camp held on Sunday.

The Minister of Medical and Family Welfare said 60.71 per cent were covered with the second dose with 10,96,706 people receiving the vaccine during the mass exercise.

A total of 15,16,804 people were covered during the campaign today, he told reporters.

“Today, 15.16 lakh people have been vaccinated. So far 86.95 percent people have received the first dose and 60.71 percent people have received the second dose.

Subramaniam oversaw the vaccination campaign being run in primary health centres, government hospitals and schools.

The health department started the mass program every Sunday from September 12 and has been organizing it every week since then.

The minister said that the government will start the vaccination drive for 15-18 years at Government High School, Saidapet tomorrow, January 3, and plans to complete the campaign for 33 lakh eligible students within a month.

For vaccination of frontline and health workers, he said that it will start from January 10 and the health department has approached Chief Minister MK Stalin for the inaugural programme.

“There are about 9.78 lakh people in the frontline workers category, while it is 5.66 lakh people under the healthcare workers category,” he said.

Subramaniam said that the state has so far vaccinated more than 8.50 crore people.

Vaccination campaign formally launched across the country by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi On 16 January 2021.