Chennai, August 27 (BPNS)

Tamil Nadu health minister, Ma Subramanian has said that 90.1% of the teachers and 89.32% of the non-teaching staff of Tamil Nadu have been vaccinated with at least the first dose of vaccine against  Covid -19.

He was speaking at a functioning organized by the Greater Chennai Corporation on Friday for vaccinating teachers, non-teaching staff, and their family members.  Ma Subramanian said that the officials have been directed to vaccinate the teaching and non-teaching staff before the schools in the state reopen on September 1 for classes IX to XII.

Minister of health said that teachers, non-teaching staff, and their families can get their first and second doses of vaccine through such special camps as organized by the Greater Chennai Corporation.

The minister also said that the state has administered 5,72,898 doses of vaccine on Thursday and added that this was the maximum number of doses administered in a single day. The state health minister also praised the Greater Chennai Corporation for vaccinating 1,35,865 people on a single day through the vaccination drive in all the 200 wards in the city.

Minister said that the Union government has allocated 22,65,000 additional doses for the month of August in addition to the earlier allocation for the state. He said that this was in appreciation to the higher rate of vaccination carried out by the state health department.

Ma Subramanian also said that Tamil Nadu has vaccinated more pregnant women in the country and added that 3,51,179 pregnant women have been vaccinated in the state till date. The state health minister also said that the state was giving more focus on vaccinating pregnant women, lactating mothers, mentally ill people, differently-abled and destitute people.