Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that the state is prepared to administer a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine if the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration takes a decision on administering a booster dose of the vaccine. Responding to a query in the state Assembly on Monday, Subramanian said that according to experts, the first and second doses of the vaccine would provide 97.5% protection from the disease. He said that if the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration recommends a booster dose, the state would be the first to act on the same.
Earlier, former Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar from the AIADMK said that experts like Anthony Fauci, the Chief Advisor of the White House in the United States of America, have referred to a possible booster dose of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, Subramanian also informed the House that Tamil Nadu received 19,22,080 doses of vaccine on September 5, the highest in a single day. Subramanian also said that the state government would organise 10,000 vaccination camps across the state on September 12 on the advice of CM Stalin.
Meanwhile, owing to the high number of coronavirus cases in adjacent state Kerala, the Tamil Nadu Health department has said that it has inoculated 100% of the adult population of the two main tourist destinations in the state – Ooty and Kodaikanal, with at least one dose, ahead of the tourist season. The department confirmed that at least one dose of the vaccine is administered to all the adult population, in both tourist attractions.
Health Minister Subramanian told IANS, “Tamil Nadu Health Department has administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to all the adult population of the two major tourist destinations, Ooty and Kodaikanal. We will be following up with the second dose as well soon.”
The minister said that presently vaccination is the only mode to prevent hospitalisation and to prevent fatalities due to COVID and the government and the state health department is keen on conducting maximum vaccination drives across the state. He also said that on September 12, the government will be vaccinating 20 lakh people in 10,000 vaccine camps spread across the state.
State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on September 3 told media persons that the state of Tamil Nadu requires an additional 1 crore dose of vaccination so that it can administer vaccines to the whole adult population by the end of December 2021.