No Evidence For Now That Our Vaccines Won’t Work, Says Govt

New Delhi: Advising people to avoid unnecessary travel and mass gatherings,  the Union Health Ministry on Friday said that there is no evidence that the vaccines will not work against the Omicron strain of coronavirus.

At a press briefing, Balram Bhargava, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said, “At this moment we have found they are to be given in early stages of the infection. The scientific data is still not supporting in such a big way. But we are watching it closely.”

Reiterating Bhargava’s statement, senior bureaucrat in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Lav Agarwal said, “Right now there is no evidence that our vaccines will not work. People who contracted the infection even after being vaccinated have reported mild symptoms. He emphasised the need to get vaccinated.

About the community spread of Omicron, Agarwal said, “Most cases of Omicron are reported by people with an international travel history. Contact tracing of such cases is also being done.”

On Friday, 10 fresh cases were reported in Delhi, two were detected in Telangana. India’s total tally rises to 101 with Maharashtra reporting 32 cases, Delhi 22, Rajasthan 17, Karnataka 8, Telangana 8, Gujarat 5, Kerala 5, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal one case each.