CHENNAI: AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam on Saturday urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to pay special attention to the lakhs of Covid vaccine vials lying unused with private hospitals, and use them efficiently to expedite the vaccination drive.
“Tamil Nadu will need 16 crore more doses of Covid vaccine. As on June 26, 1.44 crore doses have been administered to the public, meaning less than 10 per cent of the State’s residents have received both the doses,” Panneerselvam said in a statement here.
“As many as 13.9 lakh doses were allotted to private hospitals in Tamil Nadu during the months of May and June, and of this, over eight lakhs doses are still to be administered. Further, 17.75 lakh doses would be given to the private hospitals in July.
“So, they might then have over 25 lakh vaccine vials. People normally approach government hospitals for the vaccine as it is free of cost and no prior registration is needed. So, the Chief Minister should urgently take steps to use the unused vials available with the private hospitals,” Panneerselvam urged.