COVID-19 fatalities low in TN compared to other states: Health minister
Chennai: The number of fatalities caused due to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu was 'less' as compared to other states because 65 per cent of the population has two doses of vaccination, Tamil Nadu Minister Ma Subramanian said on Saturday. Deaths due to COVID-19 occurred because the individual did not receive a single dose of vaccination and was above the age of 60 years with comorbidity, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare said here. Underlining the need to get inoculated to safeguard oneself from the virus, Subramanian said 89 per cent of the people have received their first dose of vaccination while 65 per cent got the second dose till now.
"Though it is satisfying to note that mortality rate (due to COVID-19) in Tamil Nadu has been low, it is unfortunate that those who succumb to the virus have not even received the single dose of vaccination. People should get inoculated to protect themselves from the virus", he told reporters.
Daily COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu was nearing 30,000 and was comparatively low as against Maharashtra which was hovering at 50,000; Kerala 30,000-40,000 and Karnataka at 30,000 daily cases, he said. On the vaccination for the age group between 15-18 years, he said till date 76.23 per cent of the eligible adolescents received the jabs while 1.84 lakh people received the 'precautionary booster dose' vaccination of the total 5.55 lakh people who were identified to receive the third dose. Subramanian said the number of people who received the single dose vaccination in Chennai has touched 94.19 per cent while second dose recipients are at 74.11 per cent.
"Nearly 1.60 crore people are eligible to receive the precautionary booster dose (in Tamil Nadu)...we have administered the booster dose vaccination to 38,880 people so far," he said.
"We appeal those eligible individuals to come forward and make use of the vaccination camps being held today or on Thursdays when we conduct exclusive camps for them," the minister said. In the 18 mega vaccination camps conducted by the health department, 3.32 crore people were benefitted, he said. The state government launched the weekly mega vaccination exercise on September 12 last year.
