Covid-19 Vaccination in Tamil Nadu is back in full swing after the elections to Tamil Nadu Assembly on April 6 with the daily number of inoculations crossing the one lakh mark (1.18 lakh) on Friday even as the number of new daily Coronavirus cases in the State has been steadily increasing.

Vaccination on April 4 dropped to a new low of 15,168 from a high of 1.52 lakh on March 22 even as people showed hesitancy to go and get vaccinated citing elections as a reason. However, post the elections, the number of inoculations has been increasing. As on April 9, a total of 36.05 lakh persons have been inoculated so far in the State, according to State Health Department data.

In Chennai, which is the hub of the infection in the State, around 9 lakh people have taken the shots so far. There are still over 15 lakh eligible persons (above the age of 45) who have not yet received the vaccine, said Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner (GCC) G Prakash.

Increased door-to-door surveillance in Chennai

With the infections increasing rapidly, the GCC from Saturday would increase door-to-door surveillance to identify people with Covid-19 symptoms like fever and cold. Also, residents aged above 45 will also be traced to facilitate their inoculation, he said. “We will increase the number of people to be vaccinated every day to around 60,000 and achieve the target of 25 lakh by mid-May,” he told newspersons on Friday.

Dr Ganeshkumar Parasuraman, Medical Scientist and Field Epidemiologist, in a tweet said, "my reaction when I see when media/ twitter posts/ WhatsApp posts mentioned that individuals tested positive post #CovidVaccine - Benefit of #CovidVaccination is not infection prevention, it is prevention of severe #Covid19. Spread happiness not false sensation."

As per data, a greater number of persons in the age group 45-60 years are taking the shots than those above 60 years who are more vulnerable. For instance, on Friday, out of the 1.18 lakh persons, 61,922 were between 45 and 60 years while 46,407 were above 60 years.

Low vaccine coverage

Tamil Nadu has low vaccination coverage among the above 60 age group. In view of Covid second wave, protect the elders in your family- stay indoors, go out only with a mask, test quickly if symptomatic, avoid gatherings/ functions and vaccinate them fast, said Prabhdeep Kaur, ICMR scientist, in a tweet.

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan recently said, Tamil Nadu has totally received 54 lakh vaccines and around 32 lakh persons have taken the shots. Nobody has reported any major problem due to the vaccination, he said urging more people to take the shots for their own benefit.

Vaccination numbers

Source: Tamil Nadu Health Ministry

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