HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Medical Council (TSMC) held a day-long workshop to equip doctors across the State for the impending third wave. At the conference, which saw participation from various government and private doctors of the State, AIG Chairman and gastroenterologist Dr Nageshwar Reddy said that historical data suggests that third waves are of lesser intensity and should not create panic.
“Historically, as seen in the Spanish flu too, the second wave is the most harsh when compared to the other waves, and by the third and fourth waves, the intensity decreases. Back then, there were no vaccines as well. However, we as a country are better equipped now for the third wave, with vaccinations and infrastructure picking up,” he said.
He further said that the country must focus on increasing daily vaccinations to 1 crore a day to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating 100 crore individuals in the next 3 months. “While we talk and gear up for the third wave, we as doctors must also plan and work with the government to plan for Long Covid, which is a larger issue now,” he added.
The conference also saw other eminent speakers such as Director of AIIMS Dr Randeep Guleria, who spokeon the latest protocols on Covid-19 and Mucormycosis. The Chief secretary of Telangana Somesh Kumar was also part of the seminar and said that the State was prepared for the third wave as it had improved its healthcare. He further said Telangana’s unique decision to vaccinate high-exposure groups would save many lives. He said vaccinating 17 lakh ‘super spreaders’ will protect 1.7 crore in the State.
State ready to tackle possible third wave: CS
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on Tuesday said that the State is fully prepared to tackle a possible third wave of the Covid-19. Participating in a webinar organised by the TSMC, he said, “All the beds in government hospitals are being provided with oxygen. Sufficient oxygen tankers have also been procured. Tenders have also been floated for setting up liquid medical oxygen plants in all government hospitals.”
1,556 cases, 14 deaths
Telangana reported 1,556 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday and 14 deaths, pushing the tally to 6,06,436, while the toll to 3,510. The State also saw 2070 recoveries taking active cases to 19,933. The highest number of cases were seen in GHMC limits (182), followed by Nalgonda (135) and Khammam (131). Bhadradri Kothugudem saw 114 cases. The case fatality and recovery rates in the state were at 0.57 per cent and 96.13 per cent, respectively.
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