30 crore Indians to be vaccinated by July-August 2021: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

Nov. 30: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that up to 30 crore Indians would be provided vaccine against COVID-19 by July- August 2021. In the first 3-4 months of next year, there is a possibility that we will be able to provide vaccine to the people of the country.

Distributing masks and soaps at the Old Delhi Railway Station today, the minister, who is also Chairman of the Indian Red Cross Society, said the vaccine will be available before the middle of next year in India. “In fight against COVID-19, our biggest weapons are the mask and the sanitizer,” he said, while distributing masks and soaps at the Old Delhi Railway Station.

#COVID19 के प्रति लोगों को जागरूक करना ज़रूरी है। इसी क्रम में आज @IndianRedCross के सौजन्य से पुरानी दिल्ली रेलवे स्टेशन पर मास्क व साबुन इत्यादि के वितरण कार्यक्रम में शामिल होना मेरे लिए सुखद अनुभव था।

लोगों से कोविड अनुरूप व्यवहार अपनाने की अपील के लिए यह एक अच्छा अवसर था। pic.twitter.com/Ea3h4uG1xd

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) November 30, 2020

Five vaccine candidates are currently undergoing clinical trials in India. These include three that are in advanced stages of trials — the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate for which the Pune-based Serum Institute is conducting Phase 3 clinical trials, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin which is also in Phase 3, and Russia’s Sputnik V which is expected to start Phase 2/3 trials next week. The other two candidates are Cadila’s experimental vaccine that has almost completed Phase 2 and a candidate by Biological E that in Phase 1/2.

Dr. Vardhan urged people to follow “Do gaj ki doori’’ (six-feet distance). “A small negligence or carelessness on our part may invite serious problems. Though we have one of the lowest fatality rates in the world, even if one person succumbs to the disease, it is the biggest loss for their friends and family. This is my emotional appeal to all of you to spread the message to maximum people,” he noted.