Explaining the advantage of taking the COVID-19 vaccination, Director General of The Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday said that the vaccines Covaxin, Covidshield are disease-modifying vaccines. He also said that after both doses are administered, antibodies develop in the body and chances of infection are lowered.
He also said, chances of severe infection and death also get lowered. Besides there also 85% chances in reduction of hospitalisation after vaccination is taken.
Over 1.67 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and UTs, the Centre said on Tuesday, underlining that the problem is not of vaccine shortage but of better planning.
Addressing a press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said so far states and UTs have received 13,10,90,370 vaccine doses, out of which the total consumption, including wastage, has been 11,43,69,677.
"As per 11 am data, unutilised doses available with states and union territories for administration is 1,67,20,693. From now till April end, 2,01,22,960 doses are in supply pipeline to states and UTs," he said.
India has crossed the previous highest surge of Covid-19 cases and the trend is going upward, which is a cause for worry for the country, said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Tuesday.
"India has 89.51 per cent people who have been cured of Covid-19 infection, 1.25 per cent deaths related to the viral infection and 9.24 per cent active cases currently. If we look at new cases, we will find that the previous highest surge has already been crossed and the trend is going upward. That is a cause for worry," said Bhushan during the weekly health ministry briefing on the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Bhushan said that the government, through ICMR, has offered the mobile testing lab. "These technologies have been perfected and developed within the country and multiple private players are offering such mobile tests at a very cost-effective rate. RT-PCR machines have also been put on government e-marketplace 'GeM' so that procurement could be easier and could take lesser time," he said.
He further informed that till 8 am on Tuesday, more than 10.85 crore doses of Covid vaccine were administered in the country.
"Till now we've provided 13,10,90,000 doses to states and union territories. On one hand, we have states like Kerala where there is zero wastage (of vaccine) and on the other hand, we have several other states where there still is 8-9 per cent of wastage," said the Health Secretary.
