WHO IS SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN? WHY WAS SHE HONOURED WITH TN CM'S SPECIAL AWARD?- READ  

As the country is fighting against the deadly COVID-19 virus, Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Soumya Swaminathan was honoured with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s special award. 

She was conferred in recognition of her advisory role in combating the deadly conronavirus pandemic in the state.

As per Hindustan Times report, Swaminathan received the award from Chief Minister K Palaniswami on the 74th Independence Day celebration at Fort St George. Ever since the pandemic spread over the world, she has been offering suggestions to the state health department to step up measures in fighting the virus.

While speaking to reporters, Swaminathan thanked the Tamil Nadu government for selecting her and also advised people to follow the pandemic protocols at all times. 

“Maintain a six feet social distance, do not go out without wearing masks and be careful while venturing out”, Swaminathan said.

Till date, she has 30 years of experience in clinical care and research. The WHO chief scientist has also worked throughout her career to translate her research into impactful programmes, according to the World Health Organisation. 

Looking into other categories, the Chief Minister’s Best Practices award was bagged by the department of treasuries, while the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) received the second prize for conducting fever clinics across the city to break the transmission chain of Covid-19, Hindustan Times further reported. 

Even, Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation received the certificate of appreciation to ensure uninterrupted availability of drugs for combating coronavirus in the state.