New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country and the preparation for the delivery, distribution and administration of vaccines. The meeting was attended by Union Health Minister Shri Harsh Vardhan, PM Senior Secretary, NITI Aayog Member (Health), Senior Scientific Advisor, senior scientists, PMO officials and other departments of the Government of India.
The Prime Minister highlighted the steady decline in daily Covid cases and growth rate over the past three weeks.
The number of COVID-19 cases in India has exceeded 74 lakh, while the number of people who have recovered from the disease has exceeded 65 lakh, bringing the recovery rate to 87.78%, according to data updated by the Union Ministry of Health on Saturday.
The death toll from coronavirus rose to 1,12,998 and the virus claimed 837 lives in one day, while the infection count rose to 74,32,680 with 62,212 new cases reported, data updated at 8 a.m.
Active cases of coronavirus infection fell below eight lakh for the first time in a month and a half, the ministry said.
Three vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, of which 2 are in Phase II and one in Phase III. Indian scientists and research teams are collaborating and strengthening research capacities in neighboring countries, namely Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka. There are more applications from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Qatar and Bhutan for clinical trials in their countries. In an effort to help the global community, the Prime Minister further ordered that we should not limit our efforts to our immediate neighborhood, but also reach out to the entire world to provide vaccines, drugs and IT platforms for the vaccine delivery system. .
The National Covid-19 Vaccine Administration Expert Group (NEGVAC), in consultation with state governments and all relevant stakeholders, has prepared and submitted a detailed vaccine storage, distribution and administration plan. The Group of Experts, in consultation with the States, is actively working on the prioritization and distribution of vaccines.
“The Prime Minister further ordered that, taking into account the geographic spread and diversity of the country, access to the vaccine should be guaranteed quickly. The Prime Minister emphasized that every step in logistics, delivery and administration should be rigorously implemented. advanced cold storage chains, distribution network, monitoring mechanism, advance evaluation and preparation of necessary ancillary equipment such as veils, syringes, etc., ”the Prime Minister’s Office said in an official statement .
Furthermore, he indicated that we should take advantage of the experience of the successful conduct of elections and disaster management in the country. The Prime Minister said that vaccine administration and delivery systems should similarly be established. This should include the participation of States / TU / Officials at the district level, civil society organizations, volunteers, citizens and experts from all necessary domains. The entire process must have a strong IT backbone and the system must be designed in such a way that it has lasting value to our healthcare system, “added the PMO
Two pan-Indian studies on the SARSCoV-2 (Covid-19 virus) genome in India by ICMR and D / o Bio-Technology (DBT) suggest that the virus is genetically stable and there is no major mutation in the virus.
The Prime Minister concluded by warning against complacency in the face of decline and continuing efforts to contain the pandemic. He insisted on continuous social distancing, appropriate Covid behavior such as wearing the mask, washing hands regularly, hygiene, etc., especially in the wake of the upcoming festival season.
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