The vaccination programme for people aged between 18 and 45 in Tamil Nadu will start in two or three days, said Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian in Coimbatore on Saturday.
The Minister said that the State had already paid ₹46 crore for 15 lakh doses of vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, of which five lakh doses have arrived.
“The drive to vaccinate people in the18-45 age group will soon start in one of the locations in Chennai in two to three days,” said the Minister after holding a review meeting in Coimbatore along with Food Minister R. Sakkarapani and Forests Minister K. Ramachandran.
COVID-19 war rooms to come up in four more districts
Mr. Subramanian said that the State government will soon set up COVID-19 war rooms in four more districts namely Coimbatore, Salem, Madurai and Tiruchi similar to the one that is functional in Chennai.
“People can access the war rooms to find out availability of beds in hospitals Covid Care Centres, availability of vaccines and also to seek advice from doctors about medication,” he said.
Responding to a query on the allegations that some private hospitals, that are empanelled to offer COVID-19 treatment under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), were collecting money from patients, the Minister said that such complaints will be checked. He added that COVID-19 treatments in private hospitals under the CMCHIS had just started and an empanelled hospital in Coimbatore offered treatment to four patients under the scheme on Friday.
“The pandemic is not the time to mint money. It is the time to approach with conscience and humanity,” he said.
He added that the Government was also taking efforts to ensure availability of medical oxygen in all hospitals across the State.
