Special vaccination drive to be launched in Anantapur today

Anantapur: The district administration will launch special vaccination drive from Thursday to reach out to those who had taken first dose of covid vaccine for administering the second dose. Over 33,000 doses have arrived afresh, and these will be administered for those who crossed 45 years and 60 years of age, according to Joint Collector for Development Dr A Siri. Addressing media at the Revenue Bhavan here on Wednesday, Dr Siri said in the first phase, frontline medical and other workers would be covered including those who crossed 45 years and 60 years age. The special drive will cover 88 PHCs in the district and only those to whom the first dose of vaccine was administered. She asked people to take note of it and not to come for the first dose if they were not vaccinated earlier. She advised people to remain in their homes and not come to hospitals if they do not have covid symptoms. She said people should not be alarmed at the slightest fever symptoms.

She said 1,100 beds have been made available in five covid centres to accommodate positive patients. JNTU centre will have 200 beds, Narayana junior college on Gooty road 200 beds, Dharmavaram polytechnic 250 beds, AP Model school in Kalyandurg 200 beds, Lepakshi Balayogi Gurukula school 250 beds. In all these centres, a total of 5,300 beds will be made available in the next 3 days. In 18 government hospitals in the district, another 1,900 beds are made ready for covid patients while another 39 private hospitals will be notified as covid hospitals and more beds will be made available in these hospitals, she added. She revealed that food arrangements are also being made in the covid care centres.

The joint collector said the entire medical and health machinery was geared up to meet the exigencies caused by virus surge. As many as 128 covid collection centres are being pressed into action in all the PHCs and sub-centres and hospitals. All the samples will be sent to VRDL laboratory. Test results will be given in 6 hours to 24 hours. She discounted rumours that test results are abnormally delayed. She revealed 849 new positive cases have been recorded on Wednesday and appealed to people to be vigilant in view of surge in cases. Control rooms have been activated to immediately plunge into action on any new cases. Wearing of face masks and maintaining social distance was mandatory at public places. For any medical assistance, people should call 104 ambulance. A WhatsApp group has been created for those in-home isolation so that family members can be in regular touch with those in isolation.