In the wake of the new COVID-19 variant, a village in the Nanded district of Maharashtra has banned entry to unvaccinated people.

As per the TOI report, Tembhurni gram panchayat, which is in Himayatnagar tehsil of Nanded, has taken the decision in a bid to boost vaccine coverage and ensure the safety of its residents.

The panchayat has declared a fine of Rs 200 in case of entry by an unvaccinated individual.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 vaccines can be "tweaked" to provide protection against new variants of the virus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, Director Dr Randeep Guleria said.

His remarks come amid rising cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus and the ongoing debate about whether a booster shot is needed to increase antibodies.

Speaking at a programme organised here in Maharashtra on Sunday, Dr Guleria said that as far as the severity of the Omicron variant is concerned, the next few weeks will be very crucial.

"Although there is this new variant of COVID-19, the silver lining is that it does seem to be a milder disease and we should have protection as far as the vaccine is concerned. And I think it is important to remember that vaccines can be tweaked," Dr Guleria here said on Sunday.

"We will have second-generation vaccines. This is something which we need to keep in mind. The current vaccines are effective but with new variants, they will decrease on immunity, however vaccines can be tweaked," he added.

He was speaking at the Dr V S Prayag Memorial Oration 2021 organised here in Maharashtra by the Association of Physicians of India.

The government in May had further extended the gap between the two doses of Covishield from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is currently administered in a two-dose regimen with a gap of four to six weeks.