Vaccination in TN now in full swing: Minister
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu on Wednesday resumed ANTI-COVID-19 vaccination. “It’s in full swing. We won’t have any shortage for three days,” Medical and Family Welfare Minister M. Subramanian told the media.
The vaccination programme was suspended for a few days as stocks were exhausted.
“So far 18.3 million persons have been vaccinated in Tamil Nadu on behalf of the government,” he said.
“Another 542,000 vaccine doses will arrive in by evening.
“The Centre has alloted 7.2 million doses to Tamil Nadu for July.” The state would need an additional 100 million doses so that the entire population can be covered. The state has utilised 90 per cent of the 18.6 million doses it recently received from the Union government.
“Chief Minister MK Stalin had earlier requested the Union government to allot 10 million additional doses to the state. There is no response so far,” he said.
In a leter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Stalin had pointed out that the number of vaccine doses provided to the state was only 302 per 1,000 eligible population. This was much lower when compared to the vaccine doses made available to many other states.
“This is very low when compared to the vaccine doses made available to comparable states such as Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan, which are at 533, 493 and 446 respectively.”
Subramanian on Wednesday held talks with private hospital managements to organise free vaccination at their facilities. As of now, vaccine stocks at many private hospitals are known to go waste as people do not want to buy at the high price at which they sell.
Subramanian talked to 117 representatives of private hospitals in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode districts at the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH) to discuss the feasibility of using corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to procure vaccines to inoculate the public free of cost. While the Central government is buying 75 per cent of the vaccines manufactured in the country, 25 per cent are earmarked for private hospitals.
Also during the day, Stalin has writen to Modi, pleading with him not to proceed with the Indian Marine Fishermen Bill, 2021. The CM said its provisions were against the interests of fishermen and infringed upon the rights conferred on the states by the Constitution.