HYDERABAD: As the Central government’s 75-day window for free booster shots has ended, only 41.5 per cent of Telangana's adult population has taken the third dose of Covid vaccine. However, even this figure is the second highest among all states, showing the increased vaccine hesitancy for booster doses in the country.
As per data from the Union ministry of health & family welfare, the nationwide average coverage of the third dose is just around 23 per cent. In Telangana, as of Sunday, 1.15 crore people or 41.5 per cent have taken the dose.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has covered the highest population among all states, with 44.4 per cent coverage. Significantly, AP’s coverage of its 60 plus population, who are more at risk from Covid, is nearly complete with over 99 per cent coverage, whereas in Telangana it is only at 59 per cent.
In fact, six other states have done better than Telangana in vaccinating their vulnerable population, with the national average being around 49 per cent.
Among the southern states, Karnataka has achieved only 20 per cent coverage of booster shots, Tamil Nadu 15 per cent and Kerala 11.2 per cent.
About 9.76 lakh people in the state are yet to take the second dose too, while 2,715 are yet to take a single dose.
Meanwhile, new Covid cases continue to be on the lower side in the state. On Sunday, 66 new cases were reported of which 44 were from Hyderabad, with many districts reporting no new cases.
