Hyderabad: Telangana government on Wednesday recognized journalists as COVID front-line workers and decided to vaccinate them with high-risk groups from May 28.
Arrangement for vaccination of about 20 thousand journalists will be made through the Information and Public Relations Department.All 7.87 lakh persons from high-risk groups will be vaccinated during the three-day special campaign.
They include three lakh cab drivers and autorickshaw drivers, three lakh workers in vegetable, meat, flower markets, kirana and saloon shops, 80,000 people from civil supplies and 30,000 from fertilisers and pesticide shops.
On the instructions of chief minister K.Chandrashekhar Rao, the officials identified the Super Spreaders on Monday in view of their profession.
These include LPG delivery staff, fair price shop dealers, petrol pump workers, auto and cab drivers, vendors at Rythu markets, fruit, vegetable and flower markets, grocery shops, liquor shops and non-vegetarian markets.
Public Health Director, Dr. G. Srinivasa Rao told reporters that the state currently has a stock of 6.18 lakh doses of covishield and 2.5 lakh doses of covaxin purchased by the state government.
In the first week of June, the state is expected to get 3.35 lakh doses of covishield and 2.5 lakh doses of covaxin. He said that the state has so far vaccinated over 56 lakh people. The second dose will be given to three lakh beneficiaries by the end of May.
In view of the cases of black fungus, post-covid outpatient services have been started in government hospitals. The official said that there are more than 240 black fungus cases at ENT Hospital in Hyderabad.
The hospital is performing about 20 surgeries every day and this number will double. He said that COVID OP services are being provided at 1,500 health centers across the state.
During the Door to Door Fever survey, officials have so far identified 2.7 lakh people with COVID symptoms and distributed medicine kits to them.
