Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urges people 'not to let their guard down' against COVID

Amid speculations of a third COVID wave and the festive season around, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday appealed to the citizens of India not to let the guard down against COVID as the disease is under control but the virus has not ceased its existence. He urged everyone to be careful and alert for the future. 

"The fight against COVID will go on in the future because coronavirus is still amongst us. Coronavirus is certainly under control but it has not gone away,” Mandaviya said during the inauguration of a COVID field hospital in Bengaluru.

Mandaviya praises Karnataka govt for preparedness in combatting COVID

The Health Minister hailed the Basavaraj Bommai-led Karnataka government for its readiness to tackle any potential healthcare crisis caused by COVID in the days to come.

"Dealing with an outbreak of disease depends on the thinking of the government. The Karnataka government has decided to set up dedicated field hospitals in remote areas, which shows how prepared it is to deal with the outbreak in future," Mandaviya said.  

K'taka gets lauded for "remarkable" efforts in administering COVID vaccine doses

Mandaviya also lauded the Karnataka government for its attempts in making vaccines accessible to people at their doorsteps and for their effective efforts in achieving its vaccination target in a remarkable way.

"I congratulate the Chief Minister that 83% of the eligible population got the first dose of COVID vaccine administered in the state," Minister Mandaviya said. The Union Health Minister also asserted that the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) panel has said that those who took the first jab of the vaccine become 97% immune to the lethal disease. 

The Karnataka government was also praised by the Union Minister for its endeavours in administrating the maximum number of COVID vaccinations on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on September 17. "The way the vaccination drive took place in Karnataka and the vaccine was taken to every village is remarkable. A large state like Karnataka has carried out its fight against COVID in an exemplary way," Mandaviya said.

India COVID report

India on Saturday reported 18,166 fresh COVID cases, the lowest single-day rise in nearly seven months. The nation also registered 214 cases of deaths due to COVID. The active caseload at 2,30,971 marks the lowest number in the past 208 days. Also, with as many as 23,624 recoveries on Saturday, the total number of recoveries escalated to 3,32,71,915 in India.
Meanwhile, India on Sunday crossed the 94-crore mark in COVID vaccination coverage.

(With Inputs from ANI)

Image: PTI, Unsplash, ANI