Telangana keeps Covid in check

State’s response unique and strategic, say health officials

Hyderabad: While many Indian States are still struggling to control the spread of the Delta variant that led to the second Covid wave in the country, Telangana has so far managed to effectively contain the pandemic and never allowed the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants to have a free run in the community.

A series of unique, strategic and first-of-its-kind measures implemented at the right time have played a significant role in containing the spread of Covid-19, not only in urban centres but also in rural areas of Telangana, senior public health officials here said.

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“Our response to the Covid second wave was unique and strategic. Telangana was the first Indian State to implement the concept of fever surveys that included door-to-door visits by field-level workers in districts and fever OPs in urban centres to identify fever cases. This helped us with early identification of Covid cases and quarantining positive cases at the right time. Later, recognising the potential of fever surveys and fever OPs, the MoHFW advised all Indian States to implement our initiative,” Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivasa Rao told Telangana Today.

Till this day, many Indian States are struggling to lift restrictions and lockdowns, as they struggle with the Delta variant. However, Telangana managed to come out of the lockdown quickly. After lockdown, the State government eased all restrictions in Telangana at one go and continued to keep new Covid cases under control.

“The State government lifted all the restrictions including night curfew after just four weeks of complete lockdown. Compared to any other State, we were able to implement risk communication in an effective way and frequently warned public about imminent risk of surge in Covid infections. This helped us to take public along with us in the fight against Covid-19,” Dr Srinivasa Rao said.

Apart from timely ramping up of Covid tests, management of logistics, training of manpower, ensuring judicious use of oxygen and having ample supply of hospital beds went a long way in keeping the second Covid wave under control.

“Several States struggled with shortage of hospital beds, medicines and oxygen. There was a sense of panic among general public in those States. Such situations did not prevail in Telangana because of proper planning and management of infrastructure and other resources,” Dr Srinivasa Rao added.

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