Telangana plans 100% Covid vaccination by December end

Hyderabad, Dec 2 (IANS) Authorities in Telangana are preparing a special action plan to achieve cent per cent Covid vaccination in the state by the end of current month.

The cabinet sub-committee formed to tackle the situation in view of new variant Omicron and to expedite vaccination has directed the district collectors to prepare the plans in their respective districts to ensure vaccination coverage of all eligible persons by the end of December.

The four-member panel headed by Health Minister T. Harish Rao has asked the departments of medical and health, municipal administration, education and panchayat raj to work with coordination to achieve the goal.

It has asked people not to get panicked over the new variant. It noted that rumours are leading to confusion among people and the only way to check this is to provide correct information to people. It was also decided to revive 24/7 command and control room centre.

The panel, which held its first meeting on Wednesday, has advised people to follow all Covid precautions and take the vaccines without fail.

It observed that Telangana is ahead of other states in vaccination and it should create history by reaching the goal of 100 per cent by the month as desired by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

The officials have been directed to prepare action plans at ward, sub-division and mandal levels.

The ministers advised the health department to keep an eye on the misinformation being spread on social media and provide all the necessary information to the public through the media. The department officials were directed to make information available to people about the beds available in hospitals at the state and district levels.

Also, the officials were asked to take all necessary measures to check Covid in schools, colleges and hotels. They were directed to conduct vaccination camps in educational institutions and ensure 100 per cent vaccination of all teaching and non-teaching staff.

So far, around 90 per cent of the 2.77 crore of targeted people in the state have taken the first dose while 45 per cent have taken the second dose.

According to officials, nearly 25 lakh people did not take the second dose of vaccine despite completing the gap between doses.

Minister for Industry and Municipal Administration K. T. Rama Rao, Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, chief secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan visited GMR Covid Care Center at Hyderabad International Airport.

Officials at the airport briefed about the preparations made in accordance with latest Covid-19 guidelines and rules for international passengers arriving from 'at risk countries' amid rising concerns of the new variant-Omicron.