As many as 5,920 people have been vaccinated in Coimbatore district in the last few days at the special camps held for industry workers.
This focused effort to cover the industry workers and staff aged 45 and above will continue in the district till April 26.
District Industries Centre (DIC) General Manager B. Karthigaivasan told The Hindu that as part of the efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, industry associations, the DIC, Health Department and the civic body are organising vaccination camps. A camp is on at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex from Sunday (April 11) and will conclude on Thursday (April 15). Camps were held at individual units that employed more than 150 workers each. Some units are sending the workers to the nearby Primary Health Centres for vaccination.
Till Tuesday, a total of 5,120 workers and staff were vaccinated across the district. While 2,271 were from 135 MSME units, the rest were from 18 large industries. On Wednesday, 800 people were vaccinated at CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex.
Mr. Karthigaivasan said a camp would be organised at CM Kalyana Mandapam jointly with Coimbatore and Tirupur District Micro and Cottage Entrepreneurs Association. The DIC was also co-ordinating with the jewellers in Coimbatore and coir unit owners in Pollachi.
Workers and staff members aged 45 and above should bring their Aadhaar card to the camps for registration and get vaccinated. The associations help in registration. “We had informed the Health Department that about 35,000 workers in the district should get vaccinated and we were told that the vaccine would be available for all of them,” he said.
As for textile units, most of the large units are vaccinating the workers at their dispensaries or clinics. Initially, there were reports of vaccine shortage in some areas in the State. Now, that has been addressed, said an industry source.
According to the Southern India Mills Association, 8,051 workers from 20 of its member mills in different districts in the State were vaccinated till Wednesday. And, the drive continued. The smaller mills were also getting the workers vaccinated against COVID-19.
Special camp at SIDCO
A special camp will be held at the office of Coimbatore SIDCO Industrial Estate Manufacturers' Welfare Association from April 15 to 17. Workers and unit owners at the estate, nearby industrial units and other industrial estates can take part.
“So far, 1,350 people from our member units have registered. The camp will start at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday. We have appealed to the Health Department to hold camps at the units at the estate that have more than 150 workers each. There are requests for vaccination from the public in the nearby areas too,” said P. Nallathambi, president of the Association. The estate houses 275 units employing nearly 5,000 workers. “We (the Association) have told the units that it is mandatory for all workers aged 45 and above to be vaccinated,” he said.
