CHENNAI: AMID the debate that continues across the country on the effectiveness of Covid vaccine trials after a Haryana minister contracted the virus reportedly post “vaccination”, Tamil Nadu Health Minister, C Vijayabaskar, said on Sunday that the volunteers who were administered the first trial dose in the State have been doing well. He added that there were no safety issues raised so far.
The minister said, the immunogenicity (the ability of an antigen to provoke an immune response in the body) and the safety of the vaccine, Covishield, are being tested. He was responding to a question on the allegations raised by a 40-year-old Chennai man about the “severe neurological side effects” he suffered after taking the experimental dose.
Covishield is developed by the Oxford University, in collaboration with AstraZeneca. The vaccine will be produced by the Serum Institute of India, Pune, which will also market it in the country. Trials are being conducted at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, as part of themulti-centric study in India.
The minister was speaking to the press, after launching “communicable diseases prevention works” post the heavy rains, at the Government Multi Super-Specialty Hospital, Omandurar Estate. Vijayabaskar launched 240 mobile medical units for the rain-affected districts in the State, and said that swabs were collected. So far, a total of 38,837 swabs were taken from those staying in relief camps.
The Health Department, launched 435 mobile medical units and have been conducting camps across the rain-affected districts. So far, 9,573 camps were held, in which 2,27,082 people were screened, said a release. As many as 60 mobile medical units have been launched in Chennai alone, to screen people. Additionally, 15 special teams have been assigned to check chlorination in the water, and a flying squad from the Food Safety Department will also conduct tests on food products, he said.
Chlorination checks were held in 23,952 places, the release added. Meanwhile, the number of active Covid cases in the State has come down from the pre-Deepavali figures of 1.7 per cent to 1.3 per cent now. Health officials have attributed this rapid fall in active cases to the testing that continued in the State. Over 8,000 medical camps were held across the State. “Focus was given to Cuddalore and a few other coastal districts,” the official added.
The State has been testing close to 70,000 samples a day, with a test positivity rate of just two per cent, lower than that of Chennai’s, which is at 3.6 per cent. Despite low positivity rate, the testing is unlikely to come down until March at least. “Instructions have been given to all the officials to not bring down the number of tests. The focus is still on Coimbatore, Salem and Tirupur districts,” said the official.