Tirupur: Amid the reports of Tamil Nadu is running out of vaccine stock, the administration of 800 doses of Covaxin in the three garment factories in Tirupur has ignited controversy in the state. Media reports are doing rounds that the civic body has taken away vaccine stock (allotted to four urban primary health centers) meant for the public and selling it to private garment factories.
Though, the health department has turned down the allegation saying that the corporation authorized whom to vaccinate first.
According to Times Of India (TOI reports), the officials said garment factories were Covid-19 clusters once and it is a high-risk zone and thus their employees must be vaccinated according to the corporation.
Officials denied the reports of vaccines being sold to private garment factories reiterating that the issue has apparently arisen from the corporation running the three camps using staff nurses without informing PHCs officers on their decision to divert vaccine doses to the garment factories.
Health department officials said the corporation held vaccination camps on Saturday at MS Garments, Prism Garments, and Network Clothing Company in Tirupur administering 770 doses of vaccines. “It was a case of miscommunication because the corporation took the decision to divert vaccine stock without informing the UPHCs medical staff, which the public got wind off and misunderstood," said an official.