Telangana mulls 'no vaccine, no entry' in public places

The state government is mulling the introduction of 'entry into public places for fully vaccinated individuals only' protocol, as Telangana continues to grapple with localised outbreaks of Covid-19 in different districts. Half of the state has got its first dose of vaccination.

'We are witnessing Covid-19 outbreaks in the GHMC area, Mancherial, Peddapalli, and Khammam. More cases are being reported from nine districts. We are seeing that people, after testing positive, are roaming around freely in utter disregard of safety norms,' said Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao on Saturday.  He added that by and large, Covid-19 was under control.

Calling on people to be extremely cautious, he said it was everyone's responsibility to ensure that Telangana did not fall victim to the third wave. 'People must follow safety protocols. The second wave has not fully subsided in the state,' he said.

'It is likely that in the future, there is a possibility that only those who have been



fully vaccinated will be allowed into malls and hotels,' he added.

Dr Srinivasa Rao said the government was preparing itself for a possible third wave by ensuring adequate oxygen supplies at hospitals, training to staff, and bringing online 26,000 oxygen supply equipped beds in hospitals. Facilities have been created and are being added at all district hospitals for taking care of any children who might contract the disease.

On the subject of Covid-19 vaccination, he said Telangana state, as of now, had 2.2 crore people who were eligible to get vaccinated. Of these, 1.12 crore have received their first shot. In all, 33.79 lakh people, or 30 per cent of those who got their first shot, received the second shot too and are fully vaccinated. Dr Srinivasa Rao said 10 lakh people were yet to get the second dose of Covishield vaccine, while three lakh people were to get their second dose of Covaxin.

'We will be focusing on delivering the second dose shots in the next couple of weeks,' he said.