Chennai, Jul 21 (IANS): When compared to other metropolitan cities of the country, Chennai has administered two doses of vaccines to the maximum number of the eligible population. A study conducted by the Greater Chennai Corporation said that the City has inoculated the maximum number of eligible population when compared to other metros.

The city, according to the study has fared much better than Mumbai, Delhi, Bangaluru and Hyderabad.

According to the study, data from CoWIN portal shows that as of July 20, 2021, Chennai metro has vaccinated 9.11 lakh of its eligible population, with both doses. The eligible population of the city is 59.45 lakh and the total population is 78.53 lakh. It means that 15 per cent of the eligible populace and 12 per cent of the total population of the city were administered two doses of the vaccine.

Bangaluru comes a close second to Chennai having vaccinated 15 per cent of its eligible population and 10 per cent of its total population.

At the same time, in Mumbai 11 per cent of the eligible population and only 8 per cent of the total population was given two doses of the vaccine. Delhi vaccinated 10 per cent of its eligible population while Hyderabad was able to administer two doses of vaccines to only 8 per cent of its eligible residents. Incidentally, Delhi had vaccinated 8 per cent of its total population while Hyderabad could administer two doses of the vaccine only to 6 per cent of its populace.

Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagan Singh Bedi told IANS, "We monitored the situation very closely and conducted telecalls to all those who were eligible for the second vaccine and field survey workers reached out to people at their homes to advise them and intimate them of their second doses. A dedicated team effort helped us achieve this success, but more has to be done to combat the pandemic by inoculating more and more eligible people of the corporation."

Doctors, however, said that the Tamil Nadu government should take Chennai as a case study and create more and more awareness among the population in rural Tamil Nadu to emulate the Chennai model.

Dr Suchithra V. Menon, an epidemiologist, working in a reputed hospital in Chennai told IANS, "Indeed Chennai has worked hard to achieve this but my contention is that rural Tamil Nadu must also increase its figures and without vaccination, we cannot fight the pandemic, and hence the government should ensure that the entire population is vaccinated soon."