With cases of COVID-19 rising in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday sought to give a thrust to vaccination by appealing to all those eligible to get the jab without hesitation. He also called for increased and aggressive testing, with a target of at least 90,000 RT-PCR tests a day and results within 24 hours, contact tracing of at least 25 to 30 persons for every case, and increasing the number of fever camps.
“All those eligible for vaccination should take the vaccines,” he said while chairing a meeting of medical and public health experts at the Secretariat to review the COVID-19 scenario. The meeting was held after getting approval from the Election Commission of India as the model code of conduct for the Assembly election is still in force.
The State received over 54.85 lakh vials of vaccine from the Centre till April 11, and more than 37.8 lakh people had been vaccinated. All frontline workers, including government employees, should get the jab within two weeks, he said. Factories, offices, markets and apartments must contact the respective local bodies and district administrations for organising vaccination drives, he added.
Apart from frontline workers (aged above 18) and personnel of the Health, Police, Revenue and local bodies/Rural Development Departments, members of the public aged above 45 must opt for vaccination, an official press release said.
The government said it was essential that those working in cinema halls, vegetable and fruit markets, shops and commercial complexes opt for vaccination. The proprietors of such places must ensure strict compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures, it added.
Urging the people not to step out of their houses unless it was absolutely essential, the government reiterated the need to wear face masks, maintain a distance of six feet and wash hands with soap at regular intervals to keep COVID-19 at bay.
Mr. Palaniswami instructed officials to declare the areas where fresh cases were reported as micro-containment zones and establish COVID Care Centres or hospitals, depending on the need. Ventilators, high-flow nasal cannula, medicines and personal protective equipment were to be kept ready, he said.
The Chief Minister said health, local body, police and revenue officials must penalise those violating the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939 (₹17.92 crore had been collected from 16.37 lakh people till April 10).
“All government and private hospitals should strictly follow the Standard Treatment Protocol issued to reduce deaths due to COVID-19,” he said.
Citing deaths, including that of the Congress’s Srivilliputhur candidate, he said the people must learn from them and not take the situation lightly.
