HYDERABAD: After continuing for a month and a half, the third COVID-19 wave has concluded in the state, said Dr GS Rao, Director of Public Health (DPH), Telangana. Addressing the media, he said the third wave at its worst saw 6% hospital bed occupancy which had now fallen to 2% indicating low mortality and morbidity.
The Health Director called the wave a mild one having spared Telangana due to its impressive vaccination rates with over 100% first dose coverage and 88% second dose coverage, both of which are higher than the national average.
He further urged all schools and educational institutions to discourage online education here onwards. "Two years of online education is leading to severe mental health issues, eyesight issues and disorientation issues in children. In fact if this does not stop we would see literacy related problems. As a public health expert, I urge all schools to resume physical classes," said Dr Rao.
He also asked offices, especially IT sector offices, to pause the Work From Home option and encourage physical office visits to ensure that mental health and domestic family conditions come back to normalcy. "Two years is a lot of time for families to stay cooped up in their homes. With good vaccination rates and with natural infection affecting many, Telangana will be safe from more variants and waves," he said.
He also urged the public to take up booster doses and vaccinations for young adults between 15-17 years to further make the immune cover strong.