Awareness: College students to get ‘Covid ambassadors’ tag

Awareness: College students to get ‘Covid ambassadors’ tag

On Wednesday, the Health Minister along with Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and other officials, inaugurated a vaccination camp at the college.

Published: 16th December 2021 03:09 AM

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Every student at Government Queen Mary’s College for Women will be given ‘Covid-19 ambassador’ identity card in a day or two and these students will spread awareness on Covid vaccination in their area or street, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian.

On Wednesday, the Health Minister along with Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and other officials, inaugurated a vaccination camp at the college. The minister said 5,500 students are studying in the college, and among them only 900 are not vaccinated. Through this camp, even these 900 students will be covered. He was hopeful that the college will become the first arts and science college in Tamil Nadu to achieve 100% vaccination coverage.

“So, students of this college will be the ideal people to spread awareness on Covid vaccination,” the minister said. He requested the students to spend at least 30 minutes daily to create awareness in their area or street. Subramanian said so far, 12,307 travellers from ‘at-risk’ countries have been tested for Covid at airports in the State. Also, two per cent of travellers from ‘non-risk’ countries are tested in random sampling and so far, 1,834 travellers from non-risk countries have been tested.

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said so far, there has been no clinical surge in cases, and the government is fully equipped to handle the cases in case of a surge. Oxygen generators, oxygen beds, oxygen plants have been kept ready. The infrastructure that was created during the last wave was not disturbed, he said.

Speaking at a function organised to distribute welfare aid to people affected with leprosy at Saidapet, the Health Minister said leprosy screening camps will be conducted in all 200 wards in Chennai and also in all government and Corporation schools for early detection of cases, so that treatment can be started.

He said it is worrying to see that more leprosy cases are being detected among children. In Tamil Nadu, the prevalence rate of leprosy in children is 8.71/10,000 while In India, it is 6.87/10,00. The high numbers is due to more screening in Tamil Nadu, he said.