'Preventive guidelines against COVID-19 need to be implemented as behavioural change'

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Friday said that while talking of relaxations and return of migrant workers it needs to be understood that preventive guidelines against COVID-19 need to be implemented as a behavioural change.

"Today, it is important that when we are talking of relaxations and return of migrant workers, then there is a big challenge in front of us which we have to understand that we have to also learn to live with the virus. And when we are talking about learning to live with the virus, then the preventive guidelines against the virus need to be implemented as a behavioural change," Agarwal said during the media briefing on COVID-19 situation.

He also stated that the country may not achieve the peak in COVID-19 cases if people will follow all the required do's and don'ts.

"If we will follow required do's and don'ts, we may not achieve the peak in COVID-19 cases. There is always a possibility to witness spike in cases if we do not take the required precautions and follow processes," he said.

Agarwal informed that "Project PLACID - Phase-II Open-Label Randomised Controlled Trial of ICMR" has received approval of COVID-19 National Ethics Committee.

"Under this, ICMR will conduct trial in 21 hospitals, to assess safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma," Agrawal said.

( With inputs from ANI )