Chittoor district administered the COVID-19 vaccine to over 85,000 persons in the target age group of 15-18 on Monday, topping all districts across the country and setting a national record in the process.
District Medical and Health Officer U. Sree Hari told reporters that the vaccination programme was continuing even after 6.30 p.m. “According to the latest count, we have crossed the 85,000-mark, which is a national record. Our total target is 2.10 lakh. The remaining people would be vaccinated by Wednesday,” the official said.
The DM&HO said that for the third category of the 15-18 age group, Chittoor had achieved phenomenal results thanks to the concerted efforts of the medical and paramedical staff who took up unrelenting campaigns covering both in urban and rural areas. “Teachers of government and private schools and parents have extended their overwhelming cooperation to the programme, leading to a record turnout of the students for the vaccination drive,” Dr. Sree Hari said.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Narayanaswamy, who launched the vaccination drive at Srirangaraja Puram mandal headquarters, sought the help of teachers and parents to help complete the target of 2.10 lakh doses by Wednesday. He said that given the threat of Omicron, the present inoculation drive was timely and would play a crucial role in keeping the spread of the virus at bay. The Deputy Chief Minister lauded district medical and health administration for effectively controlling the daily COVID-19 cases during the last few weeks as the cases dipped below 20.
