TIRUCHY: Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said as many as 43.45 lakh people in the State are yet to get their first dose of the COVID vaccine. Radhakrishnan was inspecting the facilities at the Emergency COVID Response Package (ECRP) ward at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchy on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "People should continue to wear masks in public places and wash hands regularly as we need to be cautious till COVID is completely contained. There were some clusters reported in a few educational institutions in Chennai but the situation is under control. We need to be careful. The State government is monitoring the situation continuously."
"Compared to other states, the cases in Tamil Nadu is far fewer. Also, there has been no COVID death in the State after March 17. We want the people to take vaccines. A total of 43.45 lakh people yet to take their first dose of vaccine. 1.21 crore people have not taken second dose," he added.
About Monkeypox, the health secretary said, "No Monkeypox case was reported in the State or the country. Passengers from foreign countries should monitor their health and should report to health officials if they see any symptoms within 21 days of arrival. Health inspectors have also been instructed to monitor
them."
A total of 32 beds have been set up in the ECRP ward of Tiruchy GH at a cost of Rs 2.90 lakh each. The health secretary talked to dean Dr K Vanitha, superintendent Arun Raj and other doctors about the equipment and facilities coming up at the ward.