Strictly follow Covid norms to avoid third wave, Telangana Government tells people

Hyderabad: The State government has appealed to people to strictly follow Covid norms to avoid the third wave. The Health department said that the new variant Omicron though has so far proved to be a mild one, it spreads faster; hence people should wear masks properly and maintain social distancing.

"In the last few days, we have seen that some cases have been reported from Delhi, Bengaluru, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The reports of genome sequencing of those, who arrived at Shamshabad airport, are still awaited. Hence it is necessary to be careful; or else it could lead to the third wave by January".

The department is geared up to provide medical aid, but best way would be to follow Covid norms and avoid the third wave, Health Director G Srinivas Rao said on Sunday.

Omicron variant is found to be rapidly spreading across the globe when compared to the Delta variant. There is no need to panic as surveillance has been increased at the airport and Covid positive travellers are being monitored in terms of medical treatment and quarantine to contain the spread of the virus, he said.

After 13 international travellers who came from 11 countries tested positive for Covid-19 and their samples were sent for genome sequencing, the department has estimated that the number of cases will grow fast from January 15, 2022 and reach a high by February. "People have to be sensible", said the department.

"There are States where the Omicron variant has been detected; it would not be surprising if it is detected in Hyderabad. Vaccination will help people in gaining protection against the virus. Vaccination drives are being carried out. On a single day about 3.7 lakh people have received the jabs. Following Covid-appropriate behaviour is very important," it said.

A total of 979 international passengers have come from 11 countries to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad. RT-PCR tests were conducted on all passengers, who landed in flights from 'at-risk' countries. Of them, 13 have tested positive for Covid.

Of the 13 samples, one has been sent to CCMB (Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology) Hyderabad for genome sequencing; the remaining 12 to CDFD (Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics). Srinivas Rao said, "We ruled out the possibility of lockdowns in coming days regardless of the situation. Measures by the Health department and precautions by people were pitched as tools to fight the virus."