Hyderabad: The state health department is bracing itself for a possible surge in Covid-19 cases following Bathukamma and Dasara that saw people gather in groups, sometimes in large numbers, across the state as they celebrated the festivals earlier in October.
A meeting of top department officials chaired by health minister Etala Rajendar on Saturday concluded that with people coming out and meeting in large numbers, it was likely that Covid-19 might have spread faster and among more people.
The meeting reviewed the rapid increase in cases in Kerala and Delhi and the way these surges occurred in the two states. The meeting also discussed the possibility of Coronavirus spreading further among the people with the winter slowly setting in over the state.
There was no option other than people maintaining physical distance and wearing masks while out in public areas, the meeting concluded, It urged the people to follow these norms strictly to save themselves and others around them from Covid-19.
Rajendar said that, so far, Telangana state had done a good job in containing the disease and he expected that this trend will continue. He also said that while it is generally understood that viruses spread more and faster during winter, the copious rains that the state experienced this year may play a role in keeping the winter season mild. This in turn might help in controlling spread of viral diseases as well as Covid-19.
The minister said that the government was fully geared up in terms of facilities to treat Covid-19 cases with adequate staff, beds and other facilities at its hospitals should the need arise. He instructed officials not to let their guard down and stay alert to how the disease is behaving in the state, as also water- or mosquito-borne seasonal diseases and respond quickly.
Infograph
Covid-19 death rate in TS: 0.6% (all-India 1.5%)
Positivity rate in TS: 5.6% (all-India 7.8%)
Testing locations in TSL 64 RT-PCR labs, 1,076 Rapid Antigen Test locations
Isolation beds: 25,574
Oxygen beds: 10,849
ICU beds: 5,381
ICU+Ventilator beds: 3,510
Oxygen storage: 500.24 tonnes
Oxygen demand: 141.4 tonnes
