Day-1 of free boosters: Citizens queue up to get jabs ahead of festivals

States start compiling need for additional doses, Centre seeks 50 mn doses from GAVI

On Friday afternoon, a long queue of people braving the scorching Chennai heat was seen outside Kelambakkam Health Centre, keeping the officials at its vaccination unit busy.

What was driving the long queue in an otherwise vaccine-hesitant state of Tamil Nadu, according to one official at the center was: “All are from one single company.”

A batch of over 50 people from Chennai-based Super Auto Forge, the largest manufacturer of cold and warm forging parts in India, constituted most of the serpentine queue. “Taking the third dose is not compulsory. However, officials are urging the staff to come for vaccination