Telangana @ 8th rank in completing 100% vaccination of 1st dose

Hyderabad: As the country inches towards achieving the feat of vaccinating one billion people against Covid, the Telangana State has managed to enter the list of Indian States and Union Territories that have administered the first dose to its entire adult population.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Harish Rao announced that the State has achieved cent per cent first dose vaccination to its adult population. With this, the Telangana has joined seven States and UTs, which had earlier completed 100 per cent first dose vaccination to their adult population.

The Telangana ranks eighth in achieving cent per cent vaccination of first dose. Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Ladakh and Lakshadweep have already achieved this feat. Celebrating the achievement on Tuesday along with Health officials at the Director of Public Health office in Koti, Harish said, "It is a great achievement that the first dose of vaccine in the State is cent per cent completed."

As a high-risk group, RTC, teachers, Singareni, Army, medical personnel, other 44 categories have been identified and vaccination was being carried out, said the Minister. Speaking about the arrangements made for inoculating the children between 15 and 18 years, booster dose for frontline workers and senior citizens, the Minister informed that 7,970 vaccination teams were operating across the State.

"The Health department has identified 22 lakh teenagers in the State who are eligible for the vaccine. Similarly, there are 41.60 lakh people above 60 years of age and 6.34 lakh healthcare and frontline warriors. A total of 5.55 crore doses are targeted to be administered," he informed, adding that the vaccination was being carried out at 3,500 centres in the government and 264 centres in the private sector.