Health Ministry press conference: Sharp decline in daily cases, said this on Covaxin vaccine

The Union Health Ministry said on Friday that between April 30 and May 6, the weekly infection rate of coronavirus in India peaked at 21.6 percent. Now this rate has come down by about 74 percent. The ministry said that the epidemic situation in the country seems to be stabilizing, but people need to keep following the rules of proper behavior and physical distance. Along with this, the ministry said that after the highest number of new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the country on May 7, there has been a decline of about 78 percent in the new cases reported every day.

Preparations for the next sero survey completed: Dr. VK Paul

Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, who was present at the press conference, said that the preparations for the National Sero Survey have been completed. ICMR will start work for the next sero survey this month. He said that if we want to protect our geographical areas, then relying only on a national serosurvey will not work, we have to encourage the states also to do serosurvey. At the same time, Dr. Paul said that there may be some similarities and some differences in the regulatory system of every country for not getting permission for emergency use of Bharat Bioket's anti-corona vaccine by USFDA (US Food and Drug Administration).

US decision on Covaxin vaccine accepted

He said that we respect it. The scientific framework is the same but its specifics depend on the context. Dr. Paul said that these are all scientific considerations and taking them into account, the specifics may be different, especially in countries where science is strong. Our production capacity is strong. Dr. Paul said that we expect our producers to respect it too. This is not going to have any effect on our program. Our regulator has allowed it. We have enough data on Phase III trials and safety. I have been told that the Phase III trial will be published in seven to eight days.

The government is working closely with the states

On the other hand, on reports of hesitation regarding vaccination among health workers working in rural areas, the ministry said that it is working closely with the states and union territories to tackle the issue. The government has been supporting the efforts of the states and union territories for vaccination since January 16 under the initiative of 'Sampoorna Sarkar'. The ministry said, "There are reports in the media that there is a perceived 'hesitation' among health workers in rural areas regarding vaccination. This hesitation is a global practice and must be addressed through scientific studies and at the community level.