Coronavirus: Travel only if completely vaccinated, advises Centre

The central government on Tuesday advised citizens to travel only if they were fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Indian Council of Medical Research chief Balram Bhargava also appealed against non-essential travel. At a press briefing on India’s Covid-19 situation, the ICMR chief spoke about the fourth countrywide sero survey conducted by the medical research body.

Serological surveys reveal how many people may have been infected with the novel coronavirus in an area. However, it is still not clear how long antibodies last in those infected, and what level of antibodies is needed to protect a person from reinfection.

The results of the fourth survey showed that 67.6%, or more than two-thirds, of Indians above the age of six years have antibodies against Covid-19. This means that at least 40 crore citizens remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV2 – the virus that causes Covid-19.

#Unite2FightCorona#LargestVaccineDrive

“There is a ray of hope but no room for complacency. We must follow COVID Appropriate Behaviour and community engagement.” – Prof (Dr.) Balram Bhargava, DG, @ICMRDELHI @PMOIndia @mansukhmandviya @ianuragthakur @DrBharatippawar pic.twitter.com/fd1hzx72hl

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) July 20, 2021

Bhargava said that while the results of the survey were a “ray of hope”, there was no room for complacency. He said that all kinds of congregations should still be avoided.

The ICMR chief emphasised that the sero survey offered a “bird’s eye…

Read more