Shun vaccine scepticism: Centre

New Delhi: Amid fears of a looming second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday urged the people to drop their scepticism about the vaccines authorised by the government and take the required shots.

"No one should have any doubts about the Covid-19 vaccines. I urge all to take the vaccine shots," Vardhan said during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha. In response to a question, he said the prioritisation of certain groups, like the healthcare workers first and then senior citizens, was done based on expert opinions, both Indian and as that of the WHO. Vardhan said the vaccination drive will be extended in the coming days.

He said India has vaccinated 3.5 to 4 crore people so far and side effects of the vaccines have been recorded at 0.000432 per cent. Vardhan's statement came on a day the country recorded a new surge in Covid-19 cases – 39,726 new infections in the past 24 hours. This was the highest single-day spike this year that took the tally to 1,15,14,331, according to the Union Health Ministry's Friday data.

This is the highest rise in cases since November 29, 2020 when the country recorded a single-day spike of 41,810 cases. Registering an increase for the ninth day in a row, the total active caseload has reached 2,71,282, which now comprises 2.36 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 96.26 per cent, the data stated.

The daily rise in infections (39,726) was the highest recorded in 110 days, while the death toll increased to 1,59,370 with 154 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.