India reported 18,177 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the lowest in months, and 217 related deaths in the past 24 hours, data from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed on Sunday. tomorrow. Since the infection count stood at 10,323,965, the number of active Covid-19 cases also dropped to 247,220 even as the death toll in the country rose to 149,435.
The Covid-19 panel of the Union Ministry of Health at 8 am showed that there were 20,923 recoveries between Saturday and Sunday morning, which has brought the total number of patients cured of the viral disease to 9,927,310 and the rate of national recovery to 96.15%.
The drop in new cases of coronavirus disease comes on a day when the Comptroller General of Medicines of India (DCGI) is likely to formally announce the approval of two vaccines by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech. Experts from Indian drug regulators have recommended allowing the use of Covid-19 vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech in India, which is the second worst affected country in the world.
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The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) subject matter expert committee (SEC) recommended the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) as Covishield, for emergency use and Covaxin for restricted use. Covaxin is the indigenous vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).
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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that the free vaccine will be administered to most priority beneficiaries, including 10 million healthcare and 20 million frontline workers, across the country in the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination. He had also warned people not to fall prey to rumors and misinformation campaigns about the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine and rejected the rumors on social media.
The Union Ministry of Health conducted on Saturday a national drill at 285 session sites to test the planned end-to-end operations and the mechanism that has been established to ensure the smooth completion of the Covid-19 vaccination that is expected to begin. soon.
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