Mass vaccination drive to be held on polio immunisation model

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to conduct a vaccination drive on Sunday by organising 600 camps, similar to the polio immunisation model. The civic body has fixed a target of vaccinating three lakh residents on the day.

According to Corporation sources, the mass vaccination drive has been planned based on an instruction from Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu. “Based on the Chief Secretary’s in struction, mass vaccination drives have been planned in all districts,” a source said.

The civic body has been told to concentra te mass camps at highrisk areas such as urban slums and fishermen colonies.

On August 26, the Corporation organised mass vaccination camps at 400 locations in the city, with a target to cover one lakh residents and actually vaccinated 1.35 lakh persons.

According to the civic body, as many as 43,26,820 doses of the COVID vaccine has been given till Thursday, of which 29,56,113 are first doses and 13,70,707 second doses.

“There is sufficient storage of doses to conduct the mass vaccination drive. Sanitary inspectors at divisions will make arrangements for locations and they will mobilise beneficiaries,” an official said.

Presently, the civic body runs camps at 200 locations, one each for each of the 200 divisions. Of the 200 camps, 15 are 24-hour camps.

“In order to further increase vaccination, it has been proposed to conduct the mega vaccination camp to cover the left out population above 18 years in the state. Our objective is to achieve 25 lakh (in the entire state) vaccination in a single day. Considering the already existing model of conducting intensified pulse polio campaign (IPPI), it is now proposed to conduct mega camp as per IPPI model,” Irai Anbu told Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi in his letter. Meanwhile, a Corporation press release said each of the 200 divisions would have one stationary vaccination camp and two mobile camps. “As many as 600 nurses and 600 doctors will be deployed on the day. Also, awareness will be created on the camps,” the release added.

As many as 43,26,820 doses of vaccine have been given so far, of which 29,56,113 are first and 13,70,707 second doses