If cautious, second Covid wave can definitely be avoided!

Behavior of general public may well decide the pandemic curve in Telangana

Hyderabad: The behaviour of general public towards SARS-CoV-2 virus may well decide whether Telangana will have a second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic in the coming months, as was the case in European Union and United States, health officials said here on Friday.

Both Europe and the US are under the grip of a fresh wave of Covid-19 epidemic, which has forced the local authorities to either impose extensive lockdowns or restrictions. In the Covid-19 pandemic curve, India is at least one to two months behind Europe and United States, which gives time for people here to take precautions, officials said.

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“The US just now underwent a cycle of general elections, which featured mass gatherings across the country. In Europe, weather conditions have changed and there was some laxity in observing Covid appropriate behavior, which could have triggered a fresh wave of cases. At present, we cannot afford to hold mass gatherings, which could become super spreading events,” Director of Public Health, Dr G Srinivasa Rao, said.

At least by January or February, there is a definite need to be cautious, he said. “Although there are no clear indications from the Centre, we are still hoping that a vaccine or even proven drugs against Covid-19 will be ready by January or February. Till we get such solutions, our only safety net is to observe Covid appropriate behavior,” he said.

To be prepared as and when a vaccine is released by the Healthy Ministry, officials here have completed all formalities. “We have prepared the list of frontline workers from government and private hospitals who could probably receive the first dose of vaccines. However, one must keep in mind that so far in the history of medicine, an effective vaccine for any disease was never manufactured within a year. We must not have high expectations and continue to depend on precautions,” Dr Rao said.

Large scale testing has helped, says TS official

Hyderabad: Large scale Covid-19 testing through multiple platforms has helped in the containment strategies of Covid-19 in Telangana, health officials said here on Friday. At present, including private and Government sector, there are close to 68 RT-PCR testing facilities, 1,200 health care facilities and another 300 mobile centres offering rapid antigen tests in the State.

“Persons who have tested negative in rapid antigen tests but continue to have Covid-19 symptoms, must undergo RT-PCR tests. We have directed all healthcare workers involved in testing across Telangana to ensure such persons undergo RT-PCR tests,” Director of Public Health, Dr G Srinivasa Rao said.

Health officials have also urged companies and commercial establishments like hotels, restaurants, bars etc to ensure their staff undergoes Covid-19 testing regularly. “Such establishments can send their employees to us for free testing. They also can put up signboards declaring their premises to be Covid-19 free after conducting tests on all their employees,” he said.

Thorough re-evaluation of staff nurse candidates

Hyderabad: The health officials will once again conduct a thorough vetting process of the candidates who were provisionally selected for the posts of staff nurse by Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).

The TSPSC on Thursday had postponed online certificate verification for recruitment of vacant posts of staff nurse under Director of Medical Education (DME) and Telangana Vaidya Vidhan Parishad (TVVP) when some candidates pointed out discrepancies in the eligibility of candidates who were provisionally selected.

To strengthen healthcare services, TSPSC is being pursued to recruit nearly 3,400 posts of staff nurses for hospitals under DME and TVVP.

“Some of the candidates have raised objections over eligibility criteria of those selected. So, just not to take any chance, we have decided to halt the entire process and thoroughly re-evaluate the applications of all the candidates. We want to ensure a thorough job in the next two to three weeks,” Dr Rao said.

The health department is also likely to ask the candidates to meet physically, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and take part in the re-evaluation process.

On November 7, the TSPSC published a General Ranking List (GRL) and the list of hall ticket numbers of provisionally admitted candidates in the ratio of one is two for online certificate verification. However, after publishing the GRL, some candidates represented to TSPSC and Health department that service weightage marks given by the Medical and Health department were not correct.

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