Department of Health Director Dr G Srinivas Rao said that the third wave of Covid-19 had just begun, and that cases would rise in the state all this month.
Telangana Department of Health Director Dr G Srinivas Rao today said that the third wave of Covid-19 had just begun, and that Omicron cases were on rise in the state and the country.
However, the government, he said, was gearing up to tackle the wave, and was aiming to complete 100% second dose vaccination by the end of January as part of that.
He told a press conference at his Koti office that the Omicron variant was six times faster than the Delta variant, and that 70% of the cases of Covid-19 now were due to Omicron. However, though it was spreading fast, the people should avoid panic as it was less severe, with 90% of the people getting infected having no symptoms, and symptomatic people recovering in just five days, he said.
The cases in Telangana had begun rising after the New Year celebrations, he said. He added that the cases would see a steep rise until the end of January, or for about four weeks, and then start to decline.
The government was however prepared with 2 crore Covid tests and one crore home isolation kits, and the state hospitals had all necessary facilities including beds, oxygen, medicines, tablets, injections and staff to treat patients. Health officials were also giving vaccines to students of the 15-18 years age group in colleges now, he claimed, and added that health check-ups were being done at the borders, too. Given the situation, the health staff would not get leaves for four weeks, he said.
Political parties should stop their public meetings, and people should wear masks compulsorily to check the virus, Dr Rao said. The government would impose a Rs 1,000 penalty for Covid-19 violations, he said.
No specific information about Omicron would be given in the regular bulletin, he added.