Changed phone numbers add to vax drive

Changed phone numbers add to vax drive

 chaosSribala.Vadlapatla@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:  01.01.2022

Telangana’s second dose Covid-19 vaccine drive has been slow — the state ranks 23rd among states and Union territories — but not without a reason.

One of the reasons for the delay in administering the second dose is that many people have changed their mobile phone numbers, which are linked to their Aadhaar number. “There would be at least 10% of such people and some of them were vaccinated for the second time, but their numbers are scattered. We are attempting to enter the details of such people using digital codes, but even that is becoming difficult,” a senior health official told TOI. He further said: “We are requesting the people not to switch the phone numbers associated with their Aadhaar numbers. This is causing a lot of confusion. ” Officials have also noticed a similar pattern among those who are overdue for their second dose of vaccine. There are still 20 lakh people who are overdue for their second dose in the state.

Amid this confusion, there are some positive trends as well. Concerns about the rapid spreadof Omicron, aswell as the announcement of the precaution dose, have elicited an overwhelming response from all eligible age groups. Despite the fact that the targeted age group is only those over 60, authorities are receiving requests from people of all ages. “A lot of us are asking us to give them precaution doses even though they do not qualify under the current guidelines, which is a good sign,” a senior official said.

Meanwhile, officials said that four Omicron-tested patients in Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS)have serious comorbidities with liver and kidney,buttheyare all recovering well. There has also been no serious need for any other medicine, they said. “They are also not given any Covid-19-approved drugs. In the hospital, their condition is stable. The others have no symptoms,” an official said.