The Tamil Nadu health department has sent missives to the collectors of the state’s eight districts, requesting that they raise vaccination rates and work with health officials to do so.

In Chennai, Chengalpattu, Ranipet, Tiruppatur, Tiruppur, Madurai, Myladuthurai, and Theni, the immunisation rate appears to be poor.

The health administration is organising a massive vaccination effort on June 12 to make up for poor immunisation rates in several areas, as Covid -19 cases have resurfaced across the country.

As part of the programme, 1 lakh vaccination centres across the state would inoculate individuals.

The Omicron variation of the Covid virus has been found in recent Covid cases in Tamil Nadu, and whole genome sequencing of the samples revealed that Omicron sub-variants BA 4 and BA 5 were in circulation among Covid patients in the state.

To date, Tamil Nadu has delivered 11.18 crore doses of vaccine, with 93.87 percent of those over the age of 18 receiving their first shot. The second dosage of the vaccine has been administered to around 83.06 percent of the population. According to health department officials, coverage of the second dose is low among people over the age of 18 in the districts of Ranipet, Tirupattur, Madurai, Namakkal, and Theni.

According to the state health department, 43 lakh people in Tamil Nadu have still to receive the first dosage of the vaccine, with 1.21 crore people scheduled to receive the second dose.

The state health department is concerned that the new sub-variant of BA 4 and BA 5 will spread among individuals who have not received immunizations, and has urged people to complete their vaccinations at the mega camp on Sunday.

State health minister Ma Subramanian told IANS: “People must take the jab in this mega vaccine camp as there is a slight increase in Covid -19 cases across the country and Tamil Nadu is not an exception. Everyone should make use of the opportunity of the mega vaccine camp on June 12th, Sunday as we have arranged vaccination in 1 lakh centres. This is a good opportunity and those who have failed to take the first and second doses of the vaccine must complete this we have directed all the district collectors, district health officials, and the district superintendents of police to monitor the vaccination and make sure that maximum number of people are inoculated.”
(with inputs from IANS)