COVID-19 will be under control in India by Diwali: Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan

August 31: In an optimistic note, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday expressed confidence that the country’s COVID-19 count will be “under control” by Diwali this year. “The Covid-19 will significantly come under control by the Deepavali this year. The leaders and common people effectively worked together to fight the pandemic,” said the Health Minister.

He said that vaccine trials are in full swing, with three clinical trials and four pre-clinical trials underway. “We are expecting vaccines to be ready by the end of the year. It is because of the farsightedness of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that we could reach until here,” he added. He observed that compared to earlier there is no scarcity of PPE kits, ventilators, and N 95 masks now.

The assurance of the minister comes at a time on Monday, when India registered 78,512 new coronavirus cases in last 24 hours, taking the tally to 36,21,245. The toll rose by 971 to 64,469. India has 7,81,975 active cases now and the number of recovered cases crossed 27 lakh. Inaugurating the ‘Nation First’ webinar series, organised by the Anathkumar Foundation, Dr Harsh Vardhan pointed out that the country was much ahead in tackling the pandemic.

The minister, however, added a word of caution. He said, “The virus has taught us a certain lesson, it has taught us there has to be a new normal and we need to be more diligent about, more cautious about our lifestyle.”