HYDERABAD: In a bid to improve the participation of healthcare workers (HCW) in the private sector for the ongoing vaccine drive, the Directorate of Public Health has involved top doctors from various associations to share their views on the same.
Representatives from Telangana Aarogyasri Network Hospitals Association (TANHA), Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other associations asserted that the vaccines were safe and any mild reactions being seen were part of the immunity building process.
"There is some fear and apprehension that the vaccine will have side effects. However, after vaccinating so many individuals in the State, we have seen no adverse response," said Dr Narendra Reddy, Telangana State IMA president.
He explained that the COVID-19 vaccine was similar to those given to newborns for polio and DPT. Director of Public Health Dr G Srnivas Rao said that certain districts had vaccinated nearly 70 per cent HCWs in the last one week.
"We want to give confidence to the people that almost 2 lakh people have been vaccinated in the State and that there have been no vaccine-related deaths. The two deaths we saw in the State were coincidental and not as a reaction to the vaccine," he added.
Meanwhile, the abysmal participation of private HCWs continued on Friday, with only 15,360 taking the vaccine. This resulted in a 47 per cent coverage of the targeted beneficiaries. The low participation could be attributed to the fact that the vaccination program was held only in 23 districts, as against the total 33 districts in the State.