TN COVID-19: 21K trained to give shots, 46K centres for vaccine identified

The comprehensive list, including about five lakh health workers, all other frontline personnel like those from municipal administration, revenue and police, the elderly and those with co-morbidities is ready, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said. Requisite infrastructure to handle the immunisation drive like cold chain facilities was ready, he told reporters. Tamil Nadu alone has as many as 51 walk-in coolers and 2,800 secondary cold storage points ready, he noted. “Vaccines are expected in January. The approval for vaccines should come from the Centre.” Since TN has more elderly population, it is expected that the State could be allocated more vaccines, he said.

The result of genomic analysis of a sample from the UK returnee, who tested positive here, could be expected around December 28, according to the National Institute of Virology, and TN has requested the facility to expedite it, Radhakrishnan said. The returnee continues to be treated at the King’s Institute for Preventive Medicine and Research, he added. “We are in touch with the Pune authorities and will inform the state authorities once the results are out. All his 15 travel mates have been traced and efforts are on to contact all 70 co-passengers who came in the flight,” he said.