No need for alarm over Covid: Harish Rao

HYDERABAD: Health minister T. Harish Rao on Friday said there was no need for alarm over Covid-19 cases in Telangana, but said everyone should be alert and take precautions if they develop cold or fever symptoms. Harish Rao also urged all those who are yet to receive the booster precaution dose of the Covid vaccines to do so.

He chaired an online meeting with top state health department officials in the afternoon during which he directed them to ensure the availability of Covid vaccines at every primary health centre, as well as at every urban primary health centre.

Harish Rao, currently in Delhi, was interacting with principal secretary health S.A.M. Rizvi who received a letter on Thursday from the Union health ministry cautioning Telangana on the rising Covid-19 cases. Also present during the meeting were the commissioner of family welfare Sweta Mohanty, Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao, Director of Medical Education Dr K. Ramesh Reddy, Gandhi Hospital superintendent Dr M. Raja Rao, and other senior health department officials.

Harish Rao said the health department too should be on the alert with Covid cases going up, as is also being reported from other states. “There is no need for any alarm but people should be alert. If anyone develops cough, cold, pain the throat or fever or other Covid like symptoms, they should go to the nearest government healthcare facility and get themselves tested and get medical advice on treatment,” he said.

He said that Telangana was at the forefront of Covid-19 vaccination efforts and so far the state had administered 7.75 crore doses. The state has in all received 1.35 crore precaution doses and another 1.62 crore precaution doses were yet to be received from the Central government.

He directed officials to write to the Centre seeking adequate doses of the vaccines and to ensure that every eligible person in the state receives them.