Chennai, Jul 9 (IANS): With 35.2 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines in Tamil Nadu set to expire in September, state Health Minister Ma Subramanian has appealed to the Union health ministry to provide fresh stocks.

The state minister also appealed to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to provide free vaccine doses for the state to administer booster doses to the 18-59 age group people.

The Tamil Nadu health minister also apprised the Union minister that the state has been taking active measures to spread awareness among people to inoculate themselves and has conducted mega vaccination camps.

Even after all these attempts, more than 35 lakh people are to take the first dose of the vaccine while more than 1 crore people are to take the second dose of vaccine in the state.

The state public health department informed the Union health department of the mosquito menace in the state and the department fighting the spread of mosquito bite-related diseases like Dengue, Malaria, Filaria, and Japanese Encephalitis (JE).

The state health department has filed a report to the Union health department on the measures taken by the department to control mosquito-related diseases and that it has already deployed 21,000 workers to control mosquito breeding.

The state also pointed out to the Union health department that vaccines for Japanese Encephalitis are provided by the government. Thirteen cases of the JE have been reported in the state this year.