86% drop in Covid cases since second wave peak

New Delhi, Jul 02: There has been an 86 per cent decline in Covid cases in India since the second wave of the pandemic peaked in the country but people shouldn’t lower their guard, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.
Addressing a press conference, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, “Under the continued focus of clinical management, the recovery rate, which was at 81.1 per cent on May 3, is now at around 97 per cent.”
Seventy-one districts reported a Covid case positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in the week from June 23 to 29, the government said.
The health ministry added that around 56 cases of Delta Plus variant have been detected in 12 states till June 30.
It also stressed the importance of vaccination and following Covid-19 protocols as it noted that the second wave of the pandemic is not over yet.
To date, 34 crore people, the equivalent of the entire US population, have been vaccinated with at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine since the drive began on January 16, the government said.
Nearly 80 per cent healthcare workers and 90 per cent frontline workers in the country have been administered both doses, it added.
When asked about vaccine shortage, Lav Agrawal said, “We are running a marathon, not a 100-metre race. Therefore, we need to understand that it is a projection given on the manufacturing capacity of our pharma companies. We provide and coordinate with states based on availability and logistics at the state end.”

Pregnant women now eligible for vaccination:

New Delhi: Pregnant women in India are now eligible to get vaccinated against Covid with the union health ministry Friday giving the approval based on recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI). The decision empowers pregnant women to make an informed choice on taking the Covid vaccination, the ministry said, adding these women can now register on CoWIN or walk-in to the nearest Covid vaccination centre to get themselves inoculated. The decision has been communicated to all the states and union territories to implement it under the ongoing National Covid Vaccination Program, it said in a statement.

India in talks with Johnson & Johnson for its single dose vaccine:

New Delhi: Indian government is currently holding talks with the US pharma giant Johnson and Johnson for their single dose Covid-19 vaccine, said Dr VK Paul, member Niti Ayog (health) at a press briefing on Friday. “We are in talks with Johnson & Johnson regarding their single-dose vaccine. Their vaccine is being produced outside,” Paul said. The NITI Aayog member also informed reporters that the vaccine will be produced at Indian biopharmaceutical company Biological E (Bio E), based out of Hyderabad. “As per the plan, this vaccine will also be produced in Hyderabad’s Biological E.” Johnson and Johnson recently announced that their vaccine generates a strong and persistent response activity against the new Delta coronavirus variant and also against other highly prevalent SARS-CoV-2 viral strains. Adding that the vaccine was far more effective in neutralising Delta variants than it was in fighting Beta variants.