Tamil Nadu Health Secretary gets Covaxin shot

'One thing people should note is that I wore my face mask even while receiving the vaccine,' he said

Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on Sunday received a shot of Covaxin at a government hospital in Tiruchirapalli, amid concerns over the efficacy of the vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.

Radhakrishnan got a shot of Covaxin at the Mahatma Gandhi Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruchirapalli, 345 km from Chennai, under the healthcare administrator category. The development comes amid concerns from healthcare workers over receiving a shot of Covaxin, whose third phase trials are still underway.

Till Saturday, only 99 of the over 3,300 healthcare workers who took Covid-19 vaccine chose Covaxin, while the rest chose Covishield from the Serum Institute of India (SII).

“I got vaccinated by getting a shot of Covaxin. Both vaccines are safe, and Covaxin has also been approved by Drug Controller General of India. I got registered at this centre where Covaxin was being administered,” Radhakrishnan told reporters.

“One thing people should note is that I wore my face mask even while receiving the vaccine. Face masks are necessary and people should realise this. We want to ensure that the number comes down completely in Tamil Nadu,” he added.

Only around 3,300 healthcare workers got vaccinated in the state on Saturday as against 16,000 who had registered or planned to get a shot. Radhakrishnan said the vaccination is being given only to doctors and other healthcare workers who are willing to get a shot. “There is no force or coercion involved,” he said.