Telangana Government Forms Four Committees For COVID-19 Vaccination Mechanism

Hyderabad: Telangana government has constituted four committees for the COVID-19 vaccination mechanism in the state. The committees are–State Steering Committee, State Task Force, District Task Force and Mandal Task Force. According to an order from Telangana’s health and family welfare department dated December 11, 2020, the Telangana government has constituted four committees for planning, execution, supervision and monitoring of COVID-19 vaccination program in the state. “The committees shall undertake a structured review of all aspects related to preparedness and implementation of COVID-19 vaccination,” the order read.

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

The department has issued an advisory and coordination mechanism for COVID-19 vaccine introduction in the state. The department said that it is likely that a vaccine against COVID-19 will be the earliest available intervention to protect the citizens of our country.

The government has begun preparations for the possible introduction of COVID-19 vaccine. It is anticipated that initially the supply of vaccine will be limited in view of huge demand, hence, prioritization of high-risk groups will need to be done for vaccination and subsequently, other groups will be included for vaccination, it said in an order.

The health department said that it is likely that COVID-19 vaccine introduction will span over a year with multiple groups being included sequentially starting from Health Care Workers (HCWs).

Therefore, it is important to create strong advisory and implementation mechanism at State, District and Mandal level to guide the process of COVID-19 vaccine introduction while ensuring minimal disruption of other routine health care services including routine immunization, it said.

A total of 635 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths have been reported in Telangana on Friday (December 11), the state government said on Saturday (December 12). The state Health Department informed the coronavirus count in Telangana has increased to 2,77,151 including 2,67,992 discharges. The active cases currently stand at 7,670. A total of 1,489 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the state till Friday (December 12).

Telangana’s COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 96.69 per cent and the case fatality rate stands at 0.53 per cent.

Also Read: There Has Been Absolutely No Compromise In Clinical Testing Of COVID-19 Vaccines: Gangandeep Kang, Clinical Scientist

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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.