Coimbatore Corporation on Sunday covered 98.5% of children in the city in the first phase of pulse polio campaign, where oral polio vaccine is administered to children under five years of age.
City Health Officer K. Santhoshkumar said that 337 doctors and staff on duty administered the polio drops to 1.58 lakh of the 1.60 lakh children in the campaign, which started at 7 a.m.
The Corporation had deployed 40 doctors, five zonal sanitary officers, 19 sanitary inspectors, 120 urban health nurses, 98 staff nurses, 10 pharmacists and 45 sanitary workers in the campaign.
The personnel administered the vaccine at 331 booths that included seven transit booths (six bus stands and railway station) and five mobile booths.
In transit booths, the health personnel administered the vaccine to children in travel and the mobile booths took care of children of migrant labourers, Mr. Santhoshkumar added.
In the city, all major hospitals and clinics also administered the vaccine.
In the district, Deputy Director of Health Services Ramesh Kumar said 98% of the 3.34 lakh were covered in the campaign.
More than 6,000 doctors and village health nurses administered the vaccine at over 1,000 centres.
Earlier in the day, Minister for Municipal Administration S.P. Velumani inaugurated the campaign in the presence of district Collector K. Rajamani at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.
A few MLAs were also present.
