Harish Rao directs TS health dept to prepare for COVID-19 third wave

Hyderabad: Telangana health minister Harish Rao has directed officials to ensure that the health department is fully prepared to face the COVID-19 third wave. On Friday, the minister, along with the director of public health Dr. G. Srinivasa Rao, held a teleconference with medical officers of all districts.

Mr. Rao directed the health department to focus on COVID-19 vaccination, including completing the second dose target and accelerating vaccination programme for 15-18-year-olds. Booster dose priority should be given to those suffering from chronic diseases, he told them.

The minister informed the officials that the Chief Minister has said that one crore home isolation kits and two crore COVID-19 test kits have been provided to all districts at the PHC and sub-centre level. Anyone with symptoms should be tested on the spot and given medication kits if they have normal symptoms and steps should be taken to ensure that they are in home isolation.

Their health condition will be monitored daily and if necessary they will be shifted to the nearest government hospital for treatment, the minister said. "Although the prevalence in the third wave is high, the risk is low with many studies suggesting that people should be careful rather than panicked," he said.

Isolation centres should be set up locally in collaboration with local representatives, if necessary, the minister said adding that at the same time, district medical officers should ensure that there were no interruptions in the provision of services to OPs, pregnant women, and long-term patients in all hospitals.

Mr. Rao said the health department had worked hard to save the lives of the people during the first and second waves and now it should work in the same spirit and stand as an ideal for the country. He said that Telangana ranked third in the country in the recently released health index by the Central government which lauded the efforts of health department officials, staff, and especially Asha workers.

"Let's all work together with the goal of being number one in the next two years," he said and added that the health department had a rare opportunity to serve the people when they were in trouble and wanted to take advantage of it.