Vaccination tally in Tamil Nadu to breach five crore mark soon, says Health Minister

The Health Department in Tamil Nadu expects the total number of people administered with COVID-19 vaccines to breach the five-crore mark soon, State Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said on Saturday.

The department has instructed health officials to administer the vaccines to a large number of people as against the targeted 15 lakh during the third mega vaccination camp scheduled for Sunday, he said.

''Following a letter sent by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin to Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the efforts taken by Health Secretary (J Radhakrishnan), we have received 29 lakh vaccines from the Centre. We have instructed officials to administer as many vaccines as possible against the targeted 15 lakh during the third mega vaccination Camp scheduled for Sunday,'' he told reporters here.

To date, 4.41 crore people have been inoculated, including the 24.47 lakh who received the vaccines in private hospitals. The total number of those who had received the vaccination was expected to breach five crore soon, he said.

''We appeal to members of the public to extend their cooperation during the third mega vaccination camp,'' he said. In Tamil Nadu, 56 per cent of the population have received a single dose of the vaccine and 16 per cent double doses, he said.

''Through the camp tomorrow (Sunday), we are planning to inoculate 20-25 lakh. With this, the number who got the single dose was expected to reach 60 per cent,'' he said.

In the first mega vaccination drive on September 12, a total of 28.91 lakh were vaccinated. Again on the second edition of the mass vaccination programme held on September 19, 16.43 lakh were covered, he said.

Referring to the Kalaignar Insurance Scheme introduced by the DMK, he said it benefited 30,548 people since the government assumed office on May 7. Following Chief Minister M K Stalin's instruction, 1,850 people affected by the black fungus virus were also included in the scheme, he added.