HYDERABAD: Vaccines are helping Telangana keep Covid-19 at bay, said Dr GS Rao, Director of Public Health, on Wednesday at a press briefing. To establish the same, he cited figures from their recent analysis of cases being reported in the State, which showed that 60 per cent of the cases coming in currently were of patients who had not taken even a single dose of the vaccine.
“Of all the cases being reported now, the majority — about 60 per cent — are those who did not receive even a single dose of the vaccine. The next major chunk of infections is seen in those who took only a single dose, which constitutes about 30 per cent of all cases. Only 5-10 per cent of those who took both doses of vaccine saw a breakthrough infection, implying the importance of taking both doses,” Dr Rao said.
He further emphasised the importance of taking two doses, saying the State had nearly 36.35 lakh individuals who were yet to take their second dose even as many were missing the due dates.“People are becoming complacent thinking that Covid-19 is over and they need not take the second dose. However, only two doses can protect us from the virus in future, especially in light of several festivals coming up in the next three months,” he added.
He also stated that nearly 69.35 lakh people had not taken even a single
dose of the vaccine, and Medchal district had the dubious distinction of topping this chart, with nearly 7.4 lakh individuals being totally unvaccinated, followed by Nalgonda and Sangareddy with 4.9 lakh and 4.7 lakh unvaccinated individuals.
“We have about 2.75 crore eligible individuals for Covid-19 vaccine of which 75 per cent are covered with a single dose. However, to achieve best results, all must be vaccinated and I urge the citizens to actively come forward and take the vaccine,” he added.Dr Rao also noted that in light of vaccines for children nearing approval, even they would be vaccinated in the coming month.
TS adds 191 cases of Covid, no festival spike observed
Telangana recorded 191 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday with 41,682 tests conducted. With this, the active cases are at 3,968, with 162 previously affected individuals recovering. The State also reported one death, taking the toll to 3,942. The highest cases, 49, came in from GHMC, followed by 19 cases in Karimnagar and 13 in Rangareddy district.