Telangana Starts Administering Covid Booster Doses As Precautionary Measure

The Telangana government on Wednesday started administering booster doses of Covid vaccine under a public vaccination programme.

On Tuesday, the Telangana state recorded 52 cases, up from 41 the previous day.(Representational Image)

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The Telangana government on Wednesday started administering booster doses to all eligible citizens at government Covid vaccine centres as a precautionary measure in view of an increase in Covid-19 cases, IANS reported.

Telangana Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao said that the state government has arranged for 5 lakh doses of Corbevax, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Biological E. The booster doses have been arranged in view of the rise in Covid cases in many countries around the world as well as in some states within the country, he said.

Srinivasa Rao said Corbevax can be administered as a precautionary dose to those beneficiaries who have already taken two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin. The government of India has already approved Corbevax for heterologous administration. The vaccine has been made available at government centres like primary health centres and urban primary health centres.

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The director of public health appealed to people to use this opportunity and ensure that no one was left out.

Earlier, the Telangana government had written to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to provide additional Covid booster shots for the state. However, with the Centre asking the states to directly procure Covid vaccines and booster shots from the open market, the Telangana government had decided to procure 15 lakh doses from Hyderabad-based Biological E to resume vaccination.

Telangana has been witnessing an increase in Covid cases for the last few days. The daily count has almost doubled in the last week.On Tuesday, the state recorded 52 cases, up from 41 the previous day. The number of active cases has also gone up, from 269 to 281. Hyderabad logged 21 new Covid cases on Tuesday. The state's Covid recovery rate remained at 99.48 percent.