Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Thursday that while a vaccine could be available early next year, it would still take time to reach everyone. Following the distancing rules was the most important social vaccine against Covid-19 at this time, he added.
Vardhan spoke at the Rajya Sabha where members raised various issues, including the availability and affordability of a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Defending the government’s handling of Covid-19, Vardhan said that even before they found the first case in India, they had taken steps to counter the pandemic.
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On January 8, the matter was discussed with groups of experts and on January 17 efforts for detailed health preparation began and notices were issued, he said. The first case was reported on January 20: a medical student who came from China. For that first case, 162 contacts were traced, he said.
Vardhan also said that the country had come a long way since the time that people on TV stations said there was a shortage of personal protective equipment, test equipment and masks; now there are hundreds of labs across the country and there is no discrimination against any state.
He added that when the pandemic broke out, even “advanced countries like the United States of America were trying to find out.” Migrant labor faced difficulties, but the government tried to provide all facilities: 64 lakh of migrant labor received trains and buses, he said.
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Vardhan said clinical trials were underway for the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine and that there were vaccine candidates who had reached phases I, II and III.
“We hope that by the beginning of next year we will receive a vaccine. We are also coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies. We are one of the few countries that have managed to isolate the virus. There are about 40,000 samples that are being studied, ”she said.
However, he added that even after the vaccine is ready, it will not be immediately available to everyone.
“We have to break the chain of transmission. The mask is our greatest protector. After the blockage was eased, people felt that the virus had been brought under control. But we must follow hygiene protocols, keep distancing and wearing masks. The transmission occurs through our carelessness. We should consider wearing a mask and keeping a distance of two meters from other people as the best social vaccine, ”Vardhan said.
Vardhan also said that compared to India, the number of cases and deaths in the United States and Brazil was much higher. He said that even India’s recovery rate had increased. Only the United States conducted more tests than we did, he said.
He said the mortality rate of 1.64% is the lowest in the world and the government aims to reduce it to less than 1%. He said that although the number of cases may have exceeded 50 million, the number of active cases was less than 20%.
Previously, several opposition party leaders had raised questions about the government’s handling of the situation.
Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government had wasted “golden months fighting to stop the spread of Covid-19.” He said the Congress party and its leaders were the first to inform everyone about the tough challenge ahead, he said.
Azad, a former Union health minister, made several suggestions, including creating dedicated infectious disease hospitals instead of Covid-19 hospitals to avoid stigma. “We should start using the term physical distancing instead of social distancing,” he said.
He also said that vaccines should be available at affordable prices.
“We must be prepared for the last mile delivery. Advanced preparations must be made, unlike the blockade, ”he said.
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