As part of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) newly launched special vaccination drive, all the residents of 264 residential colonies have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on day one of the drive on Monday, August 23. The drive was taken up at 448 colonies within the GHMC limits. According to the civic body, on Monday, 23,651 people were administered the first dose and 3,241 people were administered the second dose. A total of 26,892 people were vaccinated on day one.
The special COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched in line with Chief Minister KCR’s aspiration to make the population of all places under GHMC limits vaccinated. The programme, which aims to vaccinate all those above 18 years of age, began on Monday and will continue for 10 days. However, the civic body has been instructed to extend it by an additional five days, if the entire population of the GHMC area is not completed within this time.
According to the data available on CoWin, 36.02 lakh people have been vaccinated in Hyderabad. Out of the total, 26.52 lakh have been vaccinated with one dose and 9.5 lakh people have been administered both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the GHMC’s plan seems to be a bit ambitious as the city has a population of more than 90 lakh. The GHMC plans to vaccinate all eligible people with at least one dose by the end of the drive- this means it will have to reach lakhs of people on a daily basis. Addressing the media, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said, “We are confident that in the next 10-15 days, we will be able to vaccinate 100% of the eligible population in Hyderabad with at least one dose. We’re going to every colony and slum in the city to ensure everyone is administered the vaccine. We are sure we will be able to achieve the target.”
In total, 175 mobile COVID-19 vaccination vehicles are being used as part of the drive. These will be visiting a total of 4,846 colonies and slums in the city in the coming days. Speaking to TNM, the GHMC’s Chief Public Relations Officer said, “Even before the vehicles visit the respective colonies, GHMC staff is surveying the area and distributing slips to houses. The slips have details about the nearest public healthcare centres (PHCs) and the time they need to visit to get vaccinated. After this survey, the vehicles are allotted to the areas on a daily basis, as the schedule changes daily in each circle.”
Those households with all members vaccinated are given a ‘100% vaccinated’ sticker, which is to be affixed in front of the house. Once an entire colony or residential complex is vaccinated, the concerned authorities from the residents’ welfare associations are given a certificate of appreciation and a banner, which says “100% vaccinated”.
On Monday, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar inspected the vaccination drive underway in Khairatabad. He visited the old CIB Colony along with GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar, Hyderabad Collector Sharman and other officials. The Chief Secretary mentioned that Hyderabad is the only metro city in the country that has launched a movement to vaccinate 100% of its eligible population. He appealed to all public representatives and corporators to participate in the event and make it a success.
He also claimed that the third wave of COVID-19 will not likely be seen in Telangana soon, however the state government is ready to deal with any situation. He said that 27,000 beds are available in Telangana, and that the number of beds in eight medical college hospitals has been increased. Somesh Kumar added that CM KCR is determined to set up a medical college in every district.
For queries regarding the COVID-19 vaccination drive, contact the GHMC helpline: 040 2111-1111.