The Central Government has described the fever survey being conducted in Telangana as a good strategy and said that steps would be taken to replicate the survey in other parts of the country.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has appreciated the State Government’s initiative during a video conference with Ministers and officials of the southern states to review the situation arising out of Coronavirus (Cpvod-19) pandemic. Health Minister T. Harish Rao participated in the video conference which was attended by representatives from AP, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Mr. Harish Rao explained the State’s preparedness to tackle COVID-19, fever survey, progress of vaccination and related issues to the Union Minister. He recalled that Telangana was the first to launch fever survey during the second wave of the pandemic and the exercise yielded good results. The current round of the survey was launched after the instructions from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
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As many as 21,150 medical teams comprising members from Health, Panchayat Raj/Municipal Administration and other departments were engaged in the conduct of the survey. The teams were visiting every household to check the health status of individuals and home isolation kits were being provided to those found with symptoms of the virus.
Officials concerned were monitoring the health condition of the affected people for a week thereafter and they were being treated through the government hospitals nearby as and when needed. The State had kept in possession two crore home isolation kits and as many as 77.33 lakh houses were covered through the survey so far. The government had distributed 3.45 lakh kits so far, he said adding the State’s initiative of taking medicare to the doorstep of the people had ensured that rate of hospitalization was low.
In addition, COVID-19 outpatient services were extended from the teaching hospitals to sub centre level and at the same time, the number of beds with oxygen facility had been enhanced to 27,000. The Minister requested the Centre to allow administration of booster doses to those aged about 60 and steps should also be taken to reduce the time gap between two doses of Covishield. The Centre should also consider administration of booster doses to all those aged about 18.
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He urged the Union Minister to release dues pending to the State and ensure supply of humidifiers for the ventilators provided by the Central Government.