Telangana sought free Covid booster dose way back in April

Hyderabad: The Centre’s decision on Wednesday to provide free booster/precautionary Covid vaccine doses to eligible persons between 18 years and 59 years in government hospitals is yet another instance of how Telangana has been ahead of the curve as compared to other States in coming up with unique initiatives to contain the pandemic.

Much before the Centre’s decision to provide free-of-cost Covid booster doses, it was in the first week of April when the Telangana government wrote to the union Ministry of Health, Medical and Family Welfare urging it to allow government hospitals to administer free precautionary/booster doses to all eligible individuals in the 18-59 age group.

In the letter, Health Minister T Harish Rao clearly laid out the reasons why such an initiative was necessary. “In view of the expected upcoming new Covid variants and to contain any future surge of cases, the Telangana government proposes to administer precaution dose for eligible beneficiaries aged from 18 years to 59 years. There is a constant threat of new variants coming up and it’s important to provide precautionary doses for eligible beneficiaries.”

In December, 2021, Telangana was also the first State to demand that the MOHFW reduce the period between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine and allow booster doses to be administered to frontline workers, healthcare workers and high-risk groups.

In yet another instance of implementing innovative initiatives in containing the pandemic, Telangana was the first to launch its unique house-to-house fever surveys and special fever outpatient services at all government healthcare facilities. The initiative was later adopted by other States and eventually became a part of an advisory from the MOHFW.