CHENNAI: The State vaccinated over 10,000 healthcare and frontline workers on Day Three of the Covid-19 vaccination drive. The number of people vaccinated in Tamil Nadu on Monday was three times more than on the previous day.According to data from the Health department, a total of 10,256 people took the jab till 7 pm on Monday. Among them, 10,051 received Covishield and 205 received Covaxin.
The department also increased the number of Covishield vaccination centres from 160 to 171, with a capacity to administer the vaccine to 17,100 people. Covaxin was administered at six centres in Tamil Nadu.In the past three days, as many as 16,462 people were vaccinated in the State. As per statistics from the Health department, 3,080 people received the vaccine on Sunday.
In Kallakurichi, which has the capacity to vaccinate 200 people per day, just 29 received the vaccine on Monday. Similarly, in Nagapattinam, 27 people were vaccinated. Ranipet and Thoothukudi districts, which have the capacity to vaccinate 300 people each, saw just 77 and 31 people respectively being inoculated on Monday.
Meanwhile, many senior doctors and heads of medical institutions received the vaccine to encourage the other staff to follow suit. Nurses, paramedical staff and sanitary workers at hospitals seemed hesitant to take the jab.On Monday, Dr S Vijaya, director, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Hospital for Women and Children, Egmore, got vaccinated. After her, five matrons received the jab, but many nurses and sanitary workers, among others, were hesitant to follow in their footsteps.
On Sunday, director of medical education Dr R Narayana Babu received Covaxin at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.In Chennai, 801 healthcare workers received the vaccine on Monday. Among them, 745 were administered Covishield and the rest were administered Covaxin, according to a release from the corporation.
The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital witnessed 156 people receiving the vaccine. It was followed by Stanley Medical College Hospital (119), MGM Healthcare (110), Omandurar Multispeciality Hospital (80), Apollo Hospital on Greams Road (72), Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children (65), Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (41), Madhavaram Urban Community Health Centre (40), and Government Royapettah Hospital (30), among others.