Hyderabad, Apr 19 (IANS): The Telangana government on Wednesday commenced administering booster doses as a precautionary measure in view of increase in Covid-19 cases.

The state government has arranged 5 lakh doses of Corbevax, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Biological E.

The state government has made all arrangements to administer the vaccines to all the eligible citizens at government Covid vaccine centres like primary health centres and urban primary health centres.

Director of Public Health and Family Welfare G. Srinivasa Rao said the doses have been arranged in view of the rise in Covid cases in many countries around the world as well in some states within the country.

Corbevax can be administered as a precautionary dose to those beneficiaries who have taken Covaxin or Covishield as first and second dose. The government of India has already approved Corbevax for heterologous administration.

The director of public health appealed to people to use this opportunity and ensure that all the left out

The state government had last month written to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to provide additional Covid booster shots for the state. However, with the Centre asking the states to directly procure Covid vaccines and booster shots from the open market, the Telangana government had decided to procure 15 lakh does from Hyderabad-based Biological E to resume vaccination.

Telangana is witnessing an increase in Covid cases for the last few days. The daily count has almost doubled in the last one week.

On Tuesday, the state recorded 52 cases, up from 41 the previous day. The number of active cases has also gone up from 269 to 281.

Hyderabad logged 21 new Covid cases on Tuesday. The state's Covid recovery rate remained at 99.48 per cent.