People waiting for second dose vaccine to be given priority in Telangana
There are over 19 lakh individuals in Telangana who have already received the first dose of Covid vaccine and are waiting to receive the second dose
Hyderabad: The State government will accord priority to individuals who are yet to receive the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Telangana.
From Saturday, persons above 45 years, who were administered the first dose of Covishield and have completed six weeks and those who received the first dose of Covaxin and completed four weeks, will be vaccinated on priority basis. The decision was taken by the Health Department after Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao pointed out that it was important to first complete the administration of the second dose, so that more number of individuals would be fully vaccinated and protected from Covid-19.
“The CoWIN software does not have a provision of slot allotment for second dose of vaccines. We are trying to hammer out a process that will enable individuals who are waiting for the second dose to quickly register and get vaccinated,” Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivasa Rao said on Friday.
By the end of May, Telangana will have 19.92 lakh individuals who have to be administered with the second dose of the Covid vaccine. By this month end, there will be over three lakh beneficiaries who have to be administered with Covaxin and 16.6 lakh individuals who have to receive the second dose of Covishield in Telangana.
By May 15, over five lakh beneficiaries in the State must be administered with the second dose of Covid vaccines. As on Friday, Telangana has a buffer stock of 3,74,900 vaccines while another three lakh Covid vaccines are expected to arrive by May 15.
“By May 15, we will have over five lakh doses of Covid vaccines and an equal number of individuals who have to be administered with the second dose of vaccine. Meanwhile, as and when we receive additional supplies, we will also try to administer first doses also,” Dr Srinivasa Rao said.
Health officials are hoping that the State could receive additional vaccine doses in the coming days. “The Chief Minister spoke to the Prime Minister and highlighted the need for vaccines. We can vaccinate two lakh individuals in a day and commensurate supply of Covid vaccines should be available to us in coming days,” he added.
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