“No camps on 28.06.2021. Will be updated shortly once vaccines are available,” a message on the COVID-19 portal of the Greater Chennai Corporation said.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) suspended its vaccination drive for June 28 following a shortage of vaccines. The GCC website on June 27 mentioned that there would not be any vaccination on June 28 and that the drive would resume once the vaccine arrives. Senior officials of the Greater Chennai Corporation told IANS that the corporation had utilized all the stock it received four days ago and that it would get a clear picture of the availability and replenishment of stocks by Monday itself.
Speaking to TNM, an official from the revenue and finance department in the GCC said, “No stock came on Sunday (June 27) and whatever minimal balance from Sunday was utilised by Medical Officers in the Urban Community Health Centres (UCHCs). However, in other centres, we are not able to provide vaccines. We are expecting some stock on Monday.” Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan told PTTV over the phone that 2 lakh Covishield doses are likely to reach Tamil Nadu by the end of the day. The government has also asked the Union government to increase the number of doses to the state of Tamil Nadu, JRK reportedly said.
A special vaccination drive for advocates and staff of the Madras High Court, which was to be inaugurated by Chief justice Sanjib Banerjee, would take place on Monday as the Greater Chennai Corporation provided the necessary vaccine doses. The Chennai Corporation has been carrying out vaccination through 45 vaccination centres and 19 urban community health centres. The GCC has been conducting special vaccine drives in markets and other crowded public places as part of its outreach programme.
Tamil Nadu had faced an acute shortage of vaccines at the start of June but later the stocks arrived in large quantities and the situation improved. The GCC itself had administered 39,366 vaccines on June 25 which was the second-highest in Tamil Nadu in a single day since the vaccination drive began.
Sources in the medical and family welfare department told IANS that there is a shortage of vaccines since Sunday and that there is a fall in vaccination across the state as the number of doses administered has come down from 3,72,618 on June 26 to a paltry 89,402 vaccine doses on June 27, Sunday.
The medical and family welfare department, however, said that the vaccine shortage is temporary and the government has taken necessary steps for replenishment and that the drive would commence immediately.
With inputs from IANS
Source: The News Minute