Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday that the central government plans to vaccinate between 25 and 30 million people against the new coronavirus by July-August next year.
“In the first 3-4 months of next year, there is a possibility that we can provide vaccines to the people of the country. By July-August, we have a plan to provide vaccines to around 25-30 crore of people and we are preparing accordingly, “Vardhan told reporters here.
Currently, five vaccine candidates are undergoing clinical trials in India. These include three that are in advanced stages of trials: the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate for which the Pune-based Serum Institute is conducting phase 3 clinical trials, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which is also in phase 3, and Sputnik V of Russia, which is expected to start phase 2/3 testing next week.
The other two candidates are Cadila’s experimental vaccine that has almost completed Phase 2 and a Biological E candidate that is in Phase 1/2.
The health minister made the remarks at an event at the Old Delhi train station today, where he distributes masks and soaps with the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) to everyone present there.
Emphasizing the importance of wearing a mask and washing hands, Vardhan said: “We will soon complete eleven months in our fight against COVID. Since then, the most important principle to protect ourselves and others is to follow the basic principles of hygiene and physical distancing. In the fight against COVID, our greatest weapon is the mask and the disinfectant. “
“I would like to ask everyone to remember and follow appropriate COVID-19 behavior, like wearing masks and following social distancing. These are important for health,” he said.
The Union minister also highlighted that India has one of the highest recovery rates in the world. “From 1 laboratory in January 2020, we now have 2,165 laboratories. More than a million people are tested daily. We have completed 14 million million cumulative tests today. All of this shows the determination of the government and the tireless efforts of our crown warriors whose contribution is significant in the fight against the pandemic ”, he said.
“Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, India has become self-sufficient in the production of masks, PPE equipment, ventilators, etc. More than 10 lakh of PPE equipment is manufactured every day in India. And Now our scientists are instrumental in researching the vaccine and it will be available in time, “he said.
Meanwhile, the Center has called a meeting of all the floor leader parties in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on December 4 to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country, the ANI news agency reported citing sources.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the virtual meeting, according to media reports.
Currently, India’s coronavirus count surpassed the 94 lakh mark after 38,772 new infections reported in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.
Total coronavirus cases reached 94,31,692 including 4,46,952 active cases and 88,47,600 recoveries. With 443 new deaths, the cumulative number rose to 1.37,139.
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