Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday chaired a virtual meeting with Collectors to review the COVID-19 pandemic situation across the State. He also instructed officials to ensure that people wear masks in public places.
During the meeting, Mr. Stalin advised the Collectors to ensure that there were no deaths and instructed them to maintain a fine balance while handling the cases, by ensuring that economic development was not disturbed and people’s livelihoods were not affected.
Referring to the increasing COVID-19 cases being reported in Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh in the recent past, the Chief Minister quoted medical experts to say a new Omicron variant has been the reason behind the increase. “However, we should remain prepared to face any situation,” he added.
Emphasising on the need for vaccination, Mr. Stalin underlined that though vaccinated person were under risk of infection, their risk of death was miniscule. “So, our primary duty is to ensure that all those eligible are vaccinated,” Mr. Stalin said.
Compared to other States, the vaccination in Tamil Nadu was low, Mr. Stalin said, pointing out that over 1.48 crore people had not taken their second vaccine dose yet and 11.68 lakh people eligible for the booster dose had not received it. This was the major challenge for the officials, he said.
Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu, Director-General of Police C. Sylendra Babu and senior officials were also present in the meeting.
