RANIPET: Although the Tamil Nadu government said it would vaccinate everyone in the 18-44 age group for free, due to limited doses available, it announced on Saturday that it would start with select categories of people. However, shortly after the Health and Family Welfare department issued a Government Order to this effect, the order was withdrawn without any explanation.
As per the order, vulnerable workers, such as newspaper boys, milk vendors, taxi and bus drivers/conductors, construction workers, and government and transport staff, will be vaccinated first. All school and college teachers, professors, media persons, and volunteers and NGO workers feeding Covid-19 patients are also eligible to get the jab.
Besides them, the list includes seafarers working in shipping industries, airport employees, and differently-abled persons, who, on producing a ‘differently-abled certificate’, won’t have to wait in the queue.