A little over 1,000 industrial workers above 45 years have been covered so far in Tiruchi district in the COVID-19 vaccination sessions being conducted at workplaces since April 12 by the Health Department.
The District Industries Centre, SIDCO and Department of Industrial Safety and Health have taken the support of industry associations to arrive at the list of workers for the immunisation exercise.
As per the guidelines of the Union Health Ministry, COVID-19 vaccination sessions are conducted at work places with about 100 eligible and willing beneficiaries (to facilitate optimal utilization of vaccine dosage and reduce wastage). Preventing the need for travel and thereby reducing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 virus is the rationale behind the initiative to conduct vaccination sessions at workplaces.
As per the guidelines, one type of vaccine is administered to workers at such sessions to avoid mixing of vaccine in the first and second dose.
In Tiruchi district, Covishield doses are being administered to industrial workers, General Manager of District Industries Centre G. Raveendran said.
So far, 1,003 workers have been vaccinated at their workplaces; the highest number of 270 workers were administered vaccine at the workplace of Lion Dates Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Raveendran said.
The vaccination exercise has gathered pace and the sessions have been completed in the SIDCO industrial estates at Ariyamangalam, Tiruverumbur and Vazhavanthankottai. The initiative will cover the Industrial Estate at Thuvakudi where the workers are more in number in the coming days, president of Tiruchi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries' Association R. Ilango said. The TIDITSSIA president had got himself vaccinated first to motivate the workers in the industrial estates to follow suit.
In a video message, District Collector S. Divyadharshini, Tiruchi Zone CII Chairman D. Senguttuvan and the Deputy Director of Health Services S. Ram Ganesh exhorted industrial workers to make the best use of the opportunity to get themselves immunised against COVID-19.
The second wave of COVID-19 being more serious in nature, adherence to safety protocol has to necessarily be backed by vaccination for safeguarding lives, Mr. Senguttuvan said.
The Collector said that having been administered the COVID-19 vaccine, she was certain that there would be no side effects.
There was no cause for any apprehension about the efficacy of the vaccine, and industrial workers could get their doubts cleared by dialling the COVID 19 toll free number 104, Dr. Ram Ganesh said.
