Harsh Vardhan expresses satisfaction at coordinated COVID-19 control efforts

Expressing satisfaction at the coordinated efforts of the Centre, states and union territories to contain the spread of COVID-19, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said that the country's Case Fatality Rate is at its lowest 1.81 per cent.

While chairing the 20th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 in the national capital, Vardhan said, "In the month since the last meeting of GoM on July 31, we have made tremendous strides in containing the disease. As many as 26.4 lakh have already recovered. The country's Case Fatality Rate is at its lowest 1.81 per cent and consecutively Recovery Rate has increased to 76.47 per cent."

He informed the GOM that with creation of sufficient health facilities, the health infrastructure in the country has been amply strengthened. Also, only 0.29 per cent of cases are on ventilators, 1.93 per cent in ICU and only 2.88 per cent of cases are on oxygen.

More than 9 lakh samples were tested in the last 24 hours and this has led to the cumulative total number of tests crossing the 4 crore mark, he added.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Empowered Group-1 Dr Vinod K Paul apprised the GOM of the process of COVID vaccine development in India and around the world.

"Bharat Biotech's vaccine candidate based on inactivated virus procured by ICMR is in Phase II trial along with Zydus Cadila's candidate which is based on viral DNA. Oxford vaccine candidate by Serum Institute of India is already in Phase III trial in Maharashtra and some other states," said Paul.

( With inputs from ANI )