There are only a few rare cases wherein people contracted COVID-19 after taking vaccines, said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday. He was speaking to the media after receiving his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Vardhan took the second dose of indigenously developed coronavirus vaccine Covaxin at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute. He was accompanied by his wife Nutan Goel, who also took the second shot of the vaccine.
The Minister added that even if someone tests positive after taking vaccines, it minimises the chances of their hospitalisation or admission to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) wards.
Stating that India currently has the lowest COVID-19 fatality rate in the world (1.34%), the Minister appealed to all those eligible to take the vaccine immediately.
“There should be no doubt about Covaxin and Covishield safety and immunogenicity. Both Indian vaccines are safe and effective. A lot of people still have doubts regarding vaccines. I urge them not to believe what is being circulated in ‘WhatsApp university’,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile, six States — Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat — continue to report a surge in new COVID-19 cases, and 78.56% of the new cases are reported from these States, said a statement issued by the Health Ministry. India has registered 56,211 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.
Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 31,643, followed by Punjab with 2,868 and Karnataka with 2,792 new cases.
India’s total active case load reached 5,40,720 today.
Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh cumulatively account for 79.64% of the total active cases in the country. Maharashtra leads with more than 62% of the active caseload of the country.
India’s cumulative recoveries stood at 1,13,93,021 on Tuesday, and 37,028 recoveries were registered in the previous 24 hours.
