COVID situation fully under control in Telangana, says chief secretary

Hyderabad: The Covid-19 situation in Telangana state is fully under control and the state is fully prepared to roll out the third phase of the vaccination from March 1, chief secretary Somesh Kumar informed Union Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba on Saturday.

Participating in a video conference from BRKR Bhavan here that was conducted by Rajiv Gauba with chief secretaries of all states, Kumar said the positivity rate in Telangana was 0.43 per cent. Less than 200 Covid positive cases were being reported daily from the state. The occupancy in hospitals was also low.

Kumar said the government was conducting rapid antigen tests in 1,100 locations. This has proven to be a game-changer in controlling Covid. “If anyone is found positive, a medicine kit is given immediately.”

Referring to the Covid vaccination drive, the CS said more than 75 per cent of the health workers and frontline workers have been vaccinated and the state is fully prepared to roll out the third phase.

Rajiv Gauba emphasized the need to act decisively in terms of containment, surveillance and large-scale vaccination, saying this would help in checking the rising trend in Covid cases.

Health secretary SAM Rizvi, director of public health Srinivas Rao and director of medical education Ramesh Reddy were among the officials who participated in the meet.