CHENNAI: The State has so far vaccinated 75.76 per cent of its eligible population in the 15-18 age group. According to data provided by the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 25,35,236 teens have been vaccinated as on Wednesday out of the 33,46,00 eligible in the State.
The drive, which began on January 3, was being held at a brisk place till January 7 with more than 3 lakh students getting the jabs on each day. However, with the onset of the Pongal holidays and the schools getting shut subsequently, the numbers have dropped.
While the highest single-day tally of 5,34,285 students receiving the vaccine was reported on January 6, the number went down to 97,689 on January 8. It dwindled further to three digits during the Pongal holidays. On Wednesday, only a little less than 10,000 received the jabs.
The officials are now hoping to increase the coverage by creating awareness among parents. Officials said they will identify those who missed out on getting the vaccine, and advise them to get the jabs.
Meanwhile, Chennai lags behind the State numbers with only 67 per cent of the children having been vaccinated as on Thursday. The officials in the city attributed this to the slow down in the pace of the drive with the schools being shut.
Out of the 2,53,372 eligible, 1,69,754 have taken their first dose in the city. While the coverage touched 50 per cent on January 10, the daily numbers started reducing since then. On January 20, only 1,091 students were vaccinated.
A corporation official said, "We are vaccinating only around 1,000 students daily as schools are closed. School managements were also struggling to arrange camps due to Pongal holidays. We are expecting to cover more students in the coming days."
Apart from urging headmasters to conduct special camps to increase the coverage, authorities have also asked parents to take their children to nearby centres to get them the jabs.
While the percentage of children vaccinated in zones like Manali and Alandur, which have lesser number of children, is higher, it is yet to reach 60 per cent in Adyar and Teynampet zones where there are more than 30,000 students each