Tiruppur district received only 3,900 anti-COVID-19 vaccine doses on Saturday as the vaccination drive for 18-44 years age group was deferred due to vaccine shortage, according to officials in the Health Department.
The 3,900 Covishield doses that arrived at the Office of the Deputy Director of Health Services in Tiruppur Corporation limits on Saturday were distributed only among the 130 government vaccination centres across the district and not among the 30 private centres. The preference for the administration of these doses would be given to the beneficiaries above 45 years in need of the second dose of Covishield, the officials said.
The available vaccine doses were expected to be exhausted by Monday, by which additional doses would likely be made available by the Health Department to the district. Amid the shortage of vaccine doses, the vaccination drive for 18-44 years age group would commence only after adequate availability of vaccine doses in Tiruppur district, according to the officials.
Meanwhile, Tiruppur Corporation announced that it would administer vaccines at only six urban primary health centres (UPHC) that are designated as vaccination hubs within the Corporation limits from Saturday. Officials said that there were initially 20 vaccination centres run by the Corporation and that these have been reduced to only six major UPHCs to ensure better distribution of vaccines amidst the shortage.
The vaccination hubs are: T.S.K UPHC at Tiruppur-Avinashi Road, 15 Velampalayam UPHC at Anupparpalayam, Nesavalar Colony UPHC at Perumanallur Road, L.R.G.R UPHC at Uthukuli Road, Kovilvazhi UPHC at Dharapuram Road and Sundamedu UPHC on Mangalam Road, the officials said.
