Telangana: Jabs for super spreaders to begin from Friday

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is gearing up to kick start mass corona vaccination programme. As a first, the government would launch vaccination for super spreaders- LPG delivery boys, fruit and vegetable vendors, liquor shop workers, auto and cab drivers, etc from May 28. Nearly 40 lakh people have already been identified as super spreaders engaged in different professions in the recent survey conducted across the state.

Over 50 per cent of super spreaders are residing in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits alone. Warangal, Khammam, Karimnagar and Nizamabad Municipal Corporations contributed 30 per cent of the total super spreaders and the remaining were in other municipal and major Panchayat bodies, officials said that a plan of action is under finalization to launch separate vaccination for the super spreaders in every district . District Collectors have been entrusted the responsibility to implement the vaccination programme on a priority basis.

Soon after the vaccine supplying agencies are finalised, the Medical and Health department would take up the vaccination of super spreaders. "Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao wanted to complete the vaccination of this particular group since they are the active carriers of the deadly corona virus," officials said. They said the government sponsored vaccination programme would be taken up from June.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister T Harish Rao held a high-level meeting on vaccination for super spreaders. The meeting discussed the challenges being faced in the implementation of vaccination mainly setting up of vaccination centres for super spreaders in the colonies in Hyderabad.