HYDERABAD: Telangana has preemptively ordered for medicines and equipment for the third wave, which some experts believe will disproportionately affect children, according to Dr Gangadhar Taduri, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Telangana Chief Minister. Speaking at an event organised by FICCI, in association with the FTCCI and ASCI, Dr Gangadhar said that the State had built nearly 18,480 Covid beds for children, with about 11,000 of them in the government sector. Of these, nearly 3,948 are ICU beds and 7,250 beds with oxygen supply.
“We have made all necessary arrangements including ordering neonatal ventilators, pediatric ventilators and pediatric cannula. In terms of medicines, we have also worked to improve the stock for immunoglobulins and Anakira medicines which specifically help in tackling Covid in children,” he added. Simultaneously, the government is planning to have a targeted vaccination drive for 90 lakh beneficiaries.
“We have a population of 2.4 crore eligible to receive the vaccine, of which 90 lakh are yet to receive the jab. Phase 3 of the vaccination drive is to find them, motivate them and get them inoculated. These 90 lakh people are scattered across Telangana and are not in specific pockets. However, we intend to target them when they visit hospitals or in other institutions where the vaccination status can be enquired about and a drive be conducted,” added Dr Gangadhar.
Speaking at the webinar, the OSD also revealed that nearly 71 lakh OPD consultations have been done by Covid-19 clinics in just three months, indicating the massive scale of the second wave, which left many of the infected out of the the formal testing radar. “TS, in a way, led the way by holding house to house surveys to find Covid cases. It was during this we noticed that many were unable to get tests done due to shortage of kits or other materials and were landing in the hospital when it was too late. With the survey and these clinics, lakhs were able to manage their disease at an early stage,” he added.
TARGETED VAX DRIVE
The government is also planning to have a targeted vaccination drive for 90 lakh beneficiaries. “We have a population of 2.4 crore eligible to receive the vaccine, of which 90 lakh are yet to receive the jab,” said Dr Taduri
577 new Covid cases, 2 deaths in TS
Hyderabad: Telangana reported 577 new Covid-19 case on Friday with the 1.11 lakh tests that were conducted. With this, the State’s active caseload has fallen to 8,674. The day also saw 645 recoveries and two deaths, taking the toll to 3,819 . The highest number of cases were reported in the GHMC limits with 79, followed by Karimnagar with 66 and Khammam with 42.
COVID CLINICS
The OSD also revealed that nearly 71 lakh OPD consultations have been done by Covid clinics in just three months