Police, revenue staff to get the jab from Feb 1: TN Minister

From February 1, we will beadministering the vaccine on frontline workers of otherdepartments like police, revenue, local administration, hesaid.Referring to the meeting chaired by Palaniswami, he saidvarious medical experts, including World Health Organisationchief scientist Sowmya Swaminathan, lauded the efforts takenby the government againstf COVID-19.At a time when the second lockdown was imposed in othercountries due to COVID-19, Tamil Nadu was witnessing adeclining trend on the virus spread while deaths due to thecontagion have come down drastically, he said.Medical experts congratulated the state government forits measures to prevent COVID-19.

Chennai, Jan 29 (PTI): Tamil Nadu would commence theCOVID-19 vaccination programme for frontline workers ofgovernment departments like the police, revenue and localadministration from February 1, the state Health Minister CVijayabhaskar said on Friday.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami inaugurated the programmeon January 16 and about six lakh healthcare professionalswere on the priority list for the vaccination and thevaccines were being provided free of cost.

Talking to reporters here, the Minister said Palaniswamihad earlier in the day chaired a review meeting comprisingdistrict collectors,government officials and various medicalexperts on the status of COVID-19 in the state.

''Currently, we are targeting healthcare workers fortaking up vaccination. From February 1, we will beadministering the vaccine on frontline workers of otherdepartments like police, revenue, local administration,'' hesaid.

Referring to the meeting chaired by Palaniswami, he saidvarious medical experts, including World Health Organisationchief scientist Sowmya Swaminathan, lauded the efforts takenby the government againstf COVID-19.

At a time when the second lockdown was imposed in othercountries due to COVID-19, Tamil Nadu was witnessing adeclining trend on the virus spread while deaths due to thecontagion have come down drastically, he said.

''Medical experts congratulated the state government forits measures to prevent COVID-19. Under the leadership of theChief Minister, the state ranks top in healthcare and inmedical infrastructure,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the state received 12,34,920 doses of bothCOVI-shield and COVAXIN. Till date, 97,000 healthcare workerswere vaccinated.

Acknowledging hesitation among the healthcare workers toget vaccinated, he said to instil confidence and to encouragethem, he himself and the health secretary J Radhakrishnangot the shots.

''We are absolutely fine (after getting vaccinated). Werequest doctors, nurses and frontline workers in the HealthDepartment to come forward and get themselves vaccinated,'' hesaid.

He said the Indian Medical Association congratulated thegovernment for the arrangements made for the programme.

The Health Department said the state today added 509 newCOVID-19 cases aggregating 8,37,327 while six more fatalitiespushed the toll to 12,345.

Recoveries outnumbered the new infections with 531 peoplerecovering. The total cured in the state so far was 8,20,381a bulletin said.

The number of active cases stood at 4,601.

The city's caseload increased to 2,30,982, the maximumamong the districts with 148 people testing positive. Themetro accounted for a little over one-third of the COVID-19fatalities (4,097 deaths).

As many as 24 districts reported cases in single digitswhile 15 of them added new cases below five.

Thirty-one districts reported zero fatalities, thebulletin said.

A total of 52,520 samples were tested today, taking thetotal examined to 1,59,13,194.

As many as five individuals, who tested positive,were returnees from West Bengal and Karnataka.