Chennai, Oct 27 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu health department will be conducting a door-to-door campaign on vaccine awareness, aimed at reducing the vaccine hesitancy of several sections of the population, especially in rural areas of the state.
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, while speaking to media persons, said that the health workers would use population data to prepare a list of people who have not taken the vaccine, either the first dose or both the doses.
The health department has directed urban and village nurses, who deliver medicines to the people at their doorstep under the 'Amakkalai Thedi Maruthavum Scheme', to make a list of people who have not been vaccinated.
The department in its analysis has found that as of Tuesday, 31 per cent of people in the state have not yet taken even a single dose of vaccine while only 29 per cent have taken both doses.
The national average of the first dose is above 75 per cent and Tamil Nadu is lagging behind in this. The health department has formulated new plans to somehow vaccinate the population who are yet to take the jab.
A study by the department has found that there were discrepancies among districts regarding vaccination -- like Chennai, Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, and Tiruppur have nearly 80 per cent vaccine coverage for the first dose which is above the national average but districts like Tiruppatur, Vellore, Myladuthurai and Ranipet have less than 60 per cent of adults who have taken the first dose of the vaccine.
The senior citizens of the state lagged behind in vaccine coverage and until Tuesday, according to the department, only 47 per cent of the 1.04 crore senior citizens have taken their first dose of the vaccine, while 23 per cent have taken both the doses.
A study by the department has found that two doses of Covid-19 vaccine have reduced the possibilities and risk of hospitalisation due to the pandemic, admissions to ICUs and even deaths.
The Health Secretary has also directed all District Collectors to identify the specific areas in each district where there is reduced vaccine coverage.