At least 300 vaccination counters have been set up at the Hitex exhibition grounds in Madhapur.
A huge vaccination drive aimed at covering at least 40,000 individuals in a day is being held in Telangana today.
Three hangars or halls with 100 vaccination counters each have been set up to administer the Covaxin vaccine (developed by Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR) for the mega vaccination drive being held at the Hitex exhibition grounds in Madhapur in state capital Hyderabad.
"There are a lot of people waiting for the vaccination. They don't know where to go, how to get it. This drive is for the common man. We haven't taken any corporates. It will take hardly five minutes for the people to come in, get the jabs and move on," said Dr Anil Krishna, Chairman of the Medicover hospital which has partnered with Cyberabad Police to organise the programme.
This is a first-of-its-kind drive being held to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Sumit, an IT employee, said it took very little time to get his jab though getting to the venue took time because of traffic. "It was smooth inside. It is well-organised. More than happy, I am relieved," he said.
The drive is being jointly organised by the Medicover group, Cyberabad police and Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) in response to the unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases in the past two months.
Hyderabad is among the Metros that have done fewer vaccines than Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune or even Vizag.
"We want to spread the vaccine, not the virus. So we organised this drive that shows how we can efficiently achieve big numbers of people who want to get vaccinated, are willing to pay for it but don't know how to get it done," said Harikrishna, executive director of Medicover Hospitals that has its presence in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
At least 15 lakh people have been fully vaccinated in Telangana. Over 50 lakh of its residents have got at least one dose.
Telangana reported 2,493 new cases and 15 deaths today, as per the state health bulletin. The total case tally is at 5,80,844. Yesterday, the state government extended the lockdown till June 10.