Chennai, Sep 6 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu health department has said that it has inoculated 100 per cent of the adult population of the two main tourist destinations of the state -- Ooty and Kodaikanal, ahead of the tourist season. The department in a statement said that at least one dose of the vaccine is administered to all the adult population in both the main tourist attractions.

Health Minister, Ma Subramanian told IANS, "Tamil Nadu health department has administered at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to all the adult population of the two major tourist destinations, Ooty and Kodaikanal, of the state. We will be following up with the second dose as well soon."

The minister said that presently vaccination is the only mode to prevent hospitalization and to prevent fatalities due to Covid and the government and the state health department is keen on conducting maximum vaccination drives across the state.

He also said that on September 12, the state health department would be vaccinating 20 lakh people in 10,000 vaccine camps spread across the state.

After the major tourist destinations, the state health department is conducting vaccination drives at major religious destinations like Velankani, Nagur, and Tiruvannamalai. At Palani, the department has already inoculated with the first dose to 100 per cent of the adult population.

The health department will be completing the first dose of vaccines to all the adult population in Nagur and Velankanni within the next few days. A senior health official told IANS, "At both these religious destinations, around 95 per cent of the adult population have taken their first dose of vaccine and in a few days time, we are expecting to complete the vaccine drive at these two places."

The state health secretary, J. Radhakrishnan had on Friday told media persons that the state of Tamil Nadu requires an additional 1 crore doses of vaccines so that it can administer vaccine to the whole of the adult population by the end of December 2021.