Covid vaccine to be rolled out in Telangana today

The Covid-19 vaccination drive is all set to get underway across Telangana on Saturday with authorities completing the arrangements to inoculate 4,000 healthcare workers on Day 1 across 139 centres in the State.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the drive through a virtual two-way video conference and interact with beneficiaries at Gandhi Hospital and a primary health centre at Narsingi in the presence of Health Minister Eatala Rajender, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy and other senior health officials.

Due to the high risk involved while discharging duties in hospitals, especially while treating Covid patients, the sanitation workers at the government and private healthcare institutions will be among the first to receive the jabs, followed by nurses and doctors. 

For the successful and quick completion of Covid immunisation, the Health Department will employ 50,000 healthcare workers and set up 1,213 vaccination centres across the State in coming weeks and months. The department aims at inoculating 3.15 lakh workers from public and private healthcare establishments across the State during the initial phase.

With the jabs set to be rolled out, Rajender sought to assure general public and healthcare workers over the vaccine efficacy. “Both — Covishied and Covaxin — have received the nod from the Drug Controller



General of India (DGCI). 

An initiative of this scale is bound to have a few cases of adverse events after immunisation. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is very clear from the beginning to ensure such individuals get timely treatment,” he said.

At the 1,213 immunisation sites across the State, the vaccination will be taken up four times a week i.e. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday while Wednesday and Saturday have been reserved to conduct vaccination drive for other diseases.

“On the first day, only 30 healthcare workers will be vaccinated at each site. Gradually, in phases, the number will be increased. This will also help us identify glitches if any and address them quickly,” said Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao.

To ensure emergency medical facilities for healthcare workers experiencing adverse events after immunisation, the Health Department has identified 57 government and private establishments and imparted training to staff in handling such cases.

“We have appointed nodal officers to supervise vaccination sites. After getting the jab, we will keep the healthcare workers for at least 30 minutes under observation. Drugs to handle adverse events are adequately available,” said Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr K Ramesh Reddy.