23 lakh people vaccinated for Covid-19 globally, Rahul Gandhi asks ‘India ka number kab aayega?’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not deploying coronavirus vaccines in the country despite other countries beginning their respective vaccination drives.

As per the government, the Covid-19 vaccine will soon be available in India. Defence Ministry Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that Indian scientists will soon complete the tests and trials of Covid-19 vaccines. "Our scientists will soon complete the tests and trials of COVID-19 vaccines. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine will also be reaching India."

India is yet to approve a vaccine for COVID-19. Pfizer, Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India have applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for a licence for emergency use authorisation of their vaccines in India.

Meanwhile, amid concerns about a new coronavirus strain found in the United Kingdom, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Director-General Dr Shekhar Mande said that the mutation in the coronavirus will not affect vaccine development as vaccine invokes the overall immunity of the body.

He added, "COVID-19 vaccine is likely to fight off any mutation because the mutations are only minor mutations which take place at one or two or at the most ten locations but the vaccine or the antibodies that are generated are against the entire vaccine. So, in principle, the vaccine will be as effective even with the mutated virus stream."