As the central government gears up to tackle the third wave of Covid-19, the opposition tried to create chaos by blaming the Centre for the shortage of oxygen, drugs, and other facilities. Slamming the opposition’s criticism for not being able to handle the covid situation, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said several Indian companies are increasing their production of vaccines and that the country might become the first in the world to develop a DNA-based vaccine.
During a short discussion on COVID-19 management in the Rajya Sabha, the union minister said technology transfer to several companies has already started and production is due to begin in the upcoming days to improve the vaccine shortage situation in the country.
“Cadila has completed third phase trial of its DNA vaccine and has applied for emergency use authorisation before DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India). Our expert team is looking into it. When this will come in the market, India will be the only country where scientists have developed a DNA vaccine,” Mandaviya said in Rajya Sabha.
A huge supply of 11-12 crore doses of Serum Institute’s Covishield vaccine have been received per month and Bharat Biotech will supply 3.5 crore doses of its Covid vaccine in August. Biological E is expected to come in the market by September-October with 7.5 crore doses, conducting the third phase of the trial of its vaccine has already started.
“Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech have started trials on children. I expect their trials to be successful. We need to trust our scientists. I trust my scientists and indigenous companies,” Mandaviya said.
Analyzing the experiences of the previous waves, the Covid third wave will not hit children more, the minister stressed.
Earlier, opposition leader Mallikarjuna Kharge said in the Rajya Sabha that the government’s COVID-19 death toll figure of 4-5 lakh is “false” and conservative and claimed the average number of deaths cannot be less than 52.4 lakh so far in the country.
Slamming the allegation of suppressing Covid death counts, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the registration of Covid deaths is done by states and that the central government has never ordered any state to manipulate the records.
Stressing on the Covid-19 management for the third wave, the minister says, “When we speak of the third wave, the 130 crore people should make a collective decision that we won’t let a third wave hit our country. When there’s a need to work together and implementation has to be done by the states, at that time we never said that this state failed or that state didn’t do this. I don’t want to do politics but many states have 10-15 lakh doses of vaccines with them, I have data.”
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s speech on Rajya Sabha gives us a ray of hope in the Pandemic situation; the Covid crisis should not be used for politics and to manipulate the masses. The entire nation is supposed to unite together in this situation and fight back this deadly virus, leaders who make statements that create confusion and concern need to introspect and should not be tolerated.