New Delhi: A day after US-based drugmaker Pfizer announced that its vaccine, BNT162b2, proves effective against Covid19 disease, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhusan on Tuesday said that India is in talks with all medicine manufacturers.
"The national expert group on Covid19 administration is in dialogue with all medicine manufacturers including foreign manufacturers. We look at the status of vaccine, it's regulatory approval and logistics requirements," said Bhushan when asked whether India is in touch with Pfizer.
He said that India engages in dialogue and logistics requirements if these vaccines are to be stored at a temperature from 2 to minus 90 degrees.
"This is a continuously changing dynamic situation, and if and when regulatory approval comes, the information will be shared," said Bhushan.
The Pfizer vaccine shows more than 90 per cent effective against Covid19 in late-stage trials. Pfizer developed the vaccine together with German biotech firm BioNTech.
Health Secretary Bhushan was briefing media in New Delhi on the Covid containment and the development of the vaccine in India.
He said that more than 11.96 crore tests have been conducted to date. "More than 11 lakh tests conducted daily during last week and the positivity rate during last week recorded at 4.2 per cent," said Bhushan.
With 79 lakh cases, India recorded the highest recovery in the world.
The Health Secretary has expressed concern that six states and UTs in India including Delhi, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharastra, Haryana and Tamil Nadu accounts for 54 per cent of new cases in last 24 hours whereas Maharastra, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab accounts 62 per cent of new deaths in last 24 hours in India.
"As far as Delhi and NCR is concerned, air pollution, cold weather, festivities, marriage celebration are some of the reason where people gather in large numbers and contribute in the spike of Covid19 cases," added Dr Balram Bhargava, director-general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
He said that India has been able to control the diseases til that with only 6 per cent of active cases at present and recovery rate more than 92 per cent.
He said that India recorded the lowest death per million population in the world. India registered 3 deaths per million population in the last seven days against the world average of seven.
India's total Covid19 deaths (92) per million population is amongst the lowest in the world (160).
"India also recorded lowest new cases with 235 against the world average of 482 per million population," said Bhushan.
Giving statistics, Bhushan said that India crossed 79 lakhs recoveries which is highest in the world.
Commenting on the spike in cases in the last few days, Bhusan reiterated that all the governments should conduct RT PCR tests to ascertain whether a person is infected with Covid19 or not.
Some states like Bihar has conducted more rapid antigen test than RT PCR tests. In Bihar, only 12 per cent RT PCR tests have been conducted and the rest was a rapid antigen test.
"Bihar and some other states have been advised to conduct RT PCR tests so that no person can go unchecked," he said.
Bhushan said that a central team during its visit to Bihar ahead of state election has found some loopholes in Covid containment strategy.
"We have brought those issues before the state administration," said Bhushan.
He said that India has conducted 46 per cent RT PCR tests, 49 per cent rapid antigen test and 5 per cent Truenet and CDnet tests.
He said that the central government has chalked out a strategy to ensure that vaccine avail to all priority groups. "We don't make any discrimination between metro and non-metro cities as far as vaccine distribution is concerned," said Bhushan.
He said that India is in a position to add to the cold chain capabilities for vaccine procurement and distribution.
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