Telangana achieves 100% coverage in Covid-19 first dose vaccination

Telangana is the first large state across the country to complete 100 per cent first dose vaccination against COVID-19, said state health minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday.

As the state achieved this feat on Tuesday, Rao along with Health Director and other officials celebrated the occasion by cutting a cake at the Director of Health office in Kothi.

"It is a great thing that the first dose of the vaccine in the state is 100 pc complete. With this, Telangana has set a record in the country as the first large state to complete the first dose one hundred percent. Until now the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Sikkim -- only 8 smaller states, Union Territories, have achieved this feat," Rao said while addressing media persons.

The minister further informed that that state has completed 66 per cent coverage of second dose.

Vaccination is ongoing in 3,500 government centres and 264 private centers, he informed.

"There are a total of 10,000 vaccinators, with a total of 35,000 staff working on the vaccination process. So far 100 per cent of the first dose and 66 per cent of the second dose have been completed. The national average is 90 percent for the first dose and 63 percent for the second dose. We are ahead of the national average," Rao said.

Meanwhile, Telangana on Tuesday reported seven new cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron with which the total tally rose to 62.