Coronavirus | India still far from herd immunity: Harsh Vardhan

Hospitals warned against use of Remdesivir, plasma therapy, Dr. Vardhan says.

September 27, 2020 07:57 pm | Updated September 28, 2020 09:11 am IST - NEW DELHI

Students come out after the Polytechnic Common Entrance Test at a college in Visakhapatnam on September 27, 2020.

Students come out after the Polytechnic Common Entrance Test at a college in Visakhapatnam on September 27, 2020.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday cautioned that the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) COVID-19 first sero-survey should not create a sense of complacency in people with regard to the virus.

Speaking in his social media interaction Sunday Samvaad-3, Mr. Vardhan said indications from the up-coming second sero survey “are that India is far from having achieved any kind of herd immunity which necessitates that all of us should continue following COVID appropriate behaviour.”

Also Read | India's COVID-19 tally crosses 60-lakh mark

The first sero-survey from May 2020 revealed a nationwide prevalence of novel coronavirus infection of only 0.73%.

In a reversal, the Minister said the Health Ministry has advised against the wide usage of investigational therapies such as Remdesivir and plasma therapies. “Private hospitals have also been advised against routine use of these investigational therapies and doctors in the States/UTs have also been made aware of this,” he said.

Stating that the pandemic can only be fought when the government and society work in tandem, the Minister said a panel of experts were studying the emerging evidence that COVID not only impacts a patient’s lungs but other organ systems also.

 

Mr Vardhan added that States/UTs have now been directed to lower the prices of COVID tests and said the Ministry has asked them to engage private laboratories and arrive at a mutually agreeable lower rates.

Speaking on the disparity of setting up AIIMS in different regions and only one for the entire North-East, Dr. Vardhan said the central Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme was aimed at correcting the regional imbalances in healthcare.

Also Read | Maharashtra continues to lead the COVID-19 tally: Health Ministry

“Other than setting up new AIIMS, the scheme also aims to upgrade the existing medical infrastructure in the entire country in a phased manner. Under different phases of the Scheme, the Centre will establish new medical colleges attached with existing district and referral hospitals in Dhubri, Nagaon, North Lakhimpur, Diphu, Kokrajhar Districts in Assam, Churachandrapur in Manipur West Garo Hills District in Meghalaya, Falkawan District in Mizoram, & Kohima and Mon in Nagaland,” he said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.