Covid third wave unlikely in Telangana, says DPH

Hyderabad: The chances of a Covid third wave in the coming months in Telangana is remote due to a combination of factors including widespread natural immunity among the population, aggressive vaccination and drop in severity in the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, said Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao on Monday. At present, […]

Hyderabad: The chances of a Covid third wave in the coming months in Telangana is remote due to a combination of factors including widespread natural immunity among the population, aggressive vaccination and drop in severity in the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, said Director of Public Health (DPH) Dr G Srinivasa Rao on Monday.

At present, the recovery rate among Covid positive patients in the State is close to 99 per cent, the positivity rate is less than 0.5 per cent and there is no indication of a major surge of Covid infections in the past three months, despite easing all lockdown restrictions. These are ample indicators that a severe third wave does not seem likely in the coming months, he said during an interaction with the media persons.

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“At present, things are looking good on the Covid front and at this rate of Covid infections, it does not look like a third wave is going to hit Telangana. However, there are still pockets in the State where the Delta variant has remained active including parts of GHMC. That’s why, we urge the public to remain alert and take precautions from October to December, which is the season of festivals,” he said.

If the present trend of a steady drop in Covid infections continues, then by December, the pandemic could end or even become endemic, he said. “Public must keep following mask mandates, physical distancing and hand sanitising. At present, the compliance to masks among the general public has dropped to just 15 per cent to 20 per cent. We urge people to keep taking precautions till December,” Dr Rao said.

Apart from fading severity of the Delta variant and acquired natural immunity, aggressive vaccination strategies also played a big role in keeping Covid cases under control. However, there is a large section (close to 25 lakh individuals) of individuals who are yet to get the second dose of vaccine in Telangana.

“Nearly 75 per cent of the eligible population have been vaccinated. However, there are a lot of individuals who are yet to get the second dose and they must get vaccinated at the earliest. This will provide permanent protection for the entire community,” he said.

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