Telangana: Mask awareness more on social media than in practice

Hyderabad: It is time to be masked again, say medical experts. The Prime Minister, Speaker, and MPs in Parliament started wearing masks. The PM released an advisory saying that be prepared for any situation and emphasised on strict vigil to prevent BF7 variant.

In the backdrop of this, Hans tried to find out the level of preparedness in Telangana. Unfortunately, people are only busy sharing all kinds of different messages on social media like whatsapp but no precautionary measures have been taken. Even the state government had not shown urgency in announcing any protocols yet. Doctors also said there was an urgent need to stop political gatherings as they are more prone to spread infection. In Telangana alone, 48 per cent had taken booster shots, according to sources.

This includes 20 per cent from Hyderabad. They say people were not showing any interest thinking that the pandemic is over. Districts like Sangareddy and Jayashankar Bhupalpally had shown greater awareness and about 98 per cent of the people in these two districts have taken the booster shot. In the districts like Jogulamba Gadwal, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Mulugu 68 percent to 80 percent had taken the booster dose.

According to the experts, the vaccination would protect the patients from the severity of cases. They said that during the third wave, the vaccination doses saved many lives in the country.

Experts emphasised on the need for use of masks, sanitising hands, and consuming food rich in proteins avoiding junk food. Along with it, exercises are also important. People should understand that even multivitamin is not necessary unless there are vitamin deficiencies. They also say that there is no need for a second booster. The first booster shot is important, they add.

Osmania Hospital pulmonologist Dr. M Rajeev said that though one need not panic and those who had not taken a booster dose should go in for it. According to Dr. Mukherjee, if anyone has taken two doses of vaccination and were infected with the Covid will have hybrid immunity and they will have less chances of getting infected again. But it is very important to follow the Covid protocol. Even WHO has said it is not very serious like the Delta variant. Dr Rajarao of Gandhi Hospital said people with comorbidity conditions like cardiac problems, hypertension, asthma, and pregnant women need to be more careful.