TN planned 16K inoculations, but only 2,783 take jab
CHENNAI: A total of 2,783 healthcare workers were inoculated on Day 1 of the vaccination drive which was inaugurated in Madurai by Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami on Saturday. The shots were given at 166 sites during which 99 healthcare workers received Covaxin and 2,684 opted for Covishield.
The highest number of 348 healthcare workers were vaccinated in Chennai, followed by 288 in Salem. Perambalur had only two healthcare workers who received the vaccine. The State had a total capacity of vaccinating 16,600 healthcare workers on Day 1, including 600 for Covaxin. Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said that the drive will pick up gradually.
“I have also asked for permission to be vaccinated so that people gain confidence. I will opt for Covaxin and I would want the IMA President, Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association president and deans to come forward too,” Radhakrishnan said.
The registrations for Covaxin at RGGGH started increasing during the day, though it had less registrations earlier, said dean Dr E Theranirajan. He said that after taking the vaccine, he was feeling fine. “More people are gaining confidence after I received the shot,” he said. RGGGH had 90 registrations. Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association president Dr K Senthil said there is hesitation among healthcare workers, but with senior doctors taking the first dose, the coverage will improve, he added.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday tried to allay apprehensions about COVID vaccine in the public mind even as he rolled out the same at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.
Stating that everyone should get vaccinated, he said the priority, however, was only for frontline workers such as doctors and health workers.
“Everyone should for sure get vaccinated. You and I have to get vaccinated. Those from your and my family too should get vaccinated,” Palaniswami said when asked whether he would get vaccinated.
When pointed out that some states are not using Covaxin, Palaniswami said the clearance for the vaccine was given by the Central government after detailed studies. “During the initial stages, it (scare) could be there and will fade later. Who is the first to take the vaccine? It is Dr Senthil, president of the TNGDA.”
The Chief Minister also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his relentless efforts that paid off with the vaccine finally getting launched on a mass scale for the benefit of the common man.
Palaniswami said a second dose would be administered 28 days after the first shot and the vaccine recipient needs to be careful for the next 42 days after which immunity against coronavirus would develop.