Rare tidings of good news have started to trickle in for India’s COVID-19 story, as the number of recoveries from the virus crossed 81,514 in a single day even as the number of daily new cases was lower at 67,708 on Thursday.
Active cases now comprise 11.12 per cent of the population, while India’s doubling rate has now reached 72.8 days. The three-day moving average of new cases has seen a continuous decline since peaking around September 12.
However, also encouraging is the statement by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday evening, where he said that a vaccine for the virus is just a few months away.
"We are very much into the vaccine development process...in the next few months at the most we should have a vaccine and in the next six months we should be in the process of delivering the vaccine to the people of India," he said at the Annual General Meeting of Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) and St. John's Ambulance.
Vardhan said to fight against COVID-19, the social vaccine of maintaining a distance of six feet should be followed, along with regular washing of hands and wearing of masks and face covers, especially in public places.
"Maintaining a distance of six feet, regular washing of hands and wearing of masks/face covers, especially in public places can save lives along with livelihood, which has been the ultimate goal of government," he said.
He said this potent social vaccine can stop the disease and it also forms the foundation of the 'Jan Andolan' against COVID-19.
In addition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a review meeting on vaccine research and deployment, taking stock of the country’s ability to procure and distribute a possible vaccine.
Aside from vaccines, testing for COVID-19 and sero surveys should be scaled up, Modi said. "Facilities to get tested regularly, speedily and inexpensively must be available to all at the earliest," the prime minister's office said in a statement.
Over 73 lakh people have contracted the virus so far in India, and over 111,000 have died.
Cinemas reopened across India on Thursday after having been closed for seven months. Under the new rules, alternate seating must be followed along with only utilising up to 50 per cent of capacity and serving packaged snacks. A few states, like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Chhattisgarh, continued to keep theatres and multiplexes closed.
With inputs from PTI
