Ready To Administer Covid-19 Vaccine If No Side Effects, Says Telangana Chief Minister

Hyderabad: Telangana state government is ready to distribute and administer Covid vaccine to the people if it does not have any side effect, said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao in a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (November 24). “People are eagerly waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine. A scientifically approved vaccine is the need of the hour. The Telangana state government is ready to distribute and administer the vaccine to its people on a priority basis. However, one has to take into consideration whether the vaccine has any side effects,” CM Rao said on the occasion.

Also Read: COVID-19: One Crore Frontline Healthcare Workers Identified To Received Vaccine In First Phase

Prime Minister Modi held a video conference with chief ministers of various states in which he discussed various methods for distribution and administering of the Covid vaccine.

Suggesting that the vaccine may give different side effects in different regions of the country, Telangana CM urged for sample testing before its large scale administration.

Also Read: Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Shows 70 Per Cent Efficacy, Produces Strong Immune Response Among Elderlies

Initially, send a batch of vaccine dosage to the states which can be administered on some people. Let us assess the situation after administering vaccine on these people and then administer it to the rest, the CM said.

Along with the CM, Chief Secretary Sri Somesh Kumar, CMO Principal Secretary S Narsing Rao, Principal Secretary (Medical and Health) Murtuza Rizvi, Medical Health Director Srinivas Rao, Medical Education Director Ramesh Reddy, Health University VC Karunakar Reddy and others participated in the virtual meeting.

Also Read: Fight Against Coronavirus: Where Are We In The COVID-19 Vaccine Race?

According to an official statement, the CM held another meeting with his officials after the video conference with PM Modi wherein he instructed the officials to prepare an action plan to administer the vaccine in the state and also asked them to create the required infrastructure facilities.

Committees should be formed at the state, district and Mandal level to conduct the vaccination programme. It should be given first to the Covid warriors and frontline workers like the police and other departments, people above 60 years of age and people suffering from acute diseases. A list in this regard should be prepared, the CM said.

Also Read: India Says Local COVID-19 Vaccine Final Trials Could End Within Two Months

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.