On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu gave a record 5.75 lakh doses of the vaccine.
Chennai:
The community hall at Sembakkam village in Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu was unusually full of women on Tuesday. The district administration had organized a special vaccination camp for workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act after the state made vaccination mandatory for all workers under the 100-day plan.
After much hesitation and delay, Sharda, one such worker, went on Tuesday to take her first dose. “My daughter was married and I couldn’t get vaccinated. Now they won’t let me work till I get vaccinated,” she told NDTV.
Women of all ages working under the scheme gathered to take their supplements as the state has made it mandatory for people in rural employment guarantee workplaces to vaccinate before they are given work.
MGNREGA supervisor D Jayasudha explained: “Under this scheme sometimes around 150 to 200 workers gather for work. When workplaces are crowded, the infection will spread to everyone. Hence the vaccination for the 100-day work schedule. mandatory.”
In one such place, only a dozen workers were seen on Tuesday instead of the usual 50, as the rest went to the vaccination camp.
Sheela, a Covid survivor, lost her job in a company about five months ago. The mother of two took her first dose hoping to earn her income through the MGNREGA scheme. “They have now announced that we can come to work only when we are vaccinated. Many people have come for their shots now,” he told NDTV.
On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu gave a record 5.75 lakh doses of the vaccine.
The state is witnessing vaccine apathy, with the state’s daily Covid tally steadily declining after an unprecedented surge during the second wave. Only 10.6% have been fully vaccinated and 42.8% have taken their first dose.
With this rural vaccination, Tamil Nadu is expected to be well prepared to reopen schools and colleges and face a possible third wave of coronavirus.
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