New Delhi|HL
The union Health Minister Dr.Harshvardhan responding to queries about the status of a vaccine for Covid-19 in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The health minister Harsh Vardhan said there are chances of it becoming available in early 2021. He also said the government is aiming to bring down Covid-19 mortality rate to less than 1% from the current 1.6%.
The minister said three vaccine candidates have reached different stages of trial — Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3. He, however, cautioned that even if the vaccine is developed, it will take time before it can be made available in large quantities, hence winning the battle against Covid-19 will require people to strictly maintain hand hygiene, follow respiratory etiquette by wearing masks and stick to social distancing norms.
Rejecting the view of some opposition members who pointed that the lockdown had been of no use, Vardhan said analysis done by experts had shown that many more cases and deaths would have occurred in the absence of the measure.
