The Telangana government on Monday set up a Cabinet sub-committee to effectively counter the situation that may arise due to Omicron, the new variant of Coronavirus found in some countries.
The four-member committee, headed by Health Minister T. Harish Rao, will recommend to the government the measures needed to tackle the pandemic situation in view of the threat posed by the new variant and also to expedite Covid vaccination.
Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao, Panchayat Raj Minister E. Dayakar Rao and Education Minister Sabita Indra Reddy will be the members of the panel.
The decision to constitute the committee was taken at the meeting of the state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The Cabinet discussed the latest pandemic situation and preparedness of the Health Department to deal with any contingency in view of the new variant found in South Africa and some other countries.
Officials of the Health Department briefed the Cabinet on the evolving situation with regard to Omicron. They also explained the steps taken to control the pandemic during the last two years.
The Cabinet was told that the Health Department was fully geared up to tackle any situation. The officials said all required medicines, equipment and human resources were kept ready to deal with the third wave.
It also asked the Health Department to review the situation in all hospitals and ensure availability of all requirements to deal with any contingency. The department was also asked to take necessary steps to increase the number of Covid tests.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of vaccination in the state. The health authorities were directed to expedite the vaccination across the state. Secretary, Medical and Health, was asked to specially focus on vaccination in Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal, Mahabubnagar, Narayanpet and Gadwal districts.
Earlier, officials said passengers arriving from Africa, European countries and Hong Kong to Hyderabad will have to undergo an RT-PCR test at the airport. Those who are fully vaccinated will have to undergo home quarantine after screening and those who are partially or not vaccinated will undergo a test and a quarantine. Their samples will be sent for genome sequencing.
