India still far from achieving any kind of herd immunity: Harsh Vardhan

With coronavirus cases in India reaching almost 6 million and deaths crossing 94,000 as on Sunday morning, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the findings of the soon to be released second sero survey indicated that India was still far from achieving any kind of herd immunity.

The health minister also said that the public healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP would increase from 1.15 to 2.5 per cent by 2025. “It will mean an actual increase of 345 per cent over the current share in this short period of time,” he said.

Warning against complacency, Vardhan said that the second sero survey findings make it necessary for everyone to follow Covid appropriate behavior.

He was addressing queries during an interaction on his social media platform.

Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) first sero survey of May 2020 revealed that the nationwide prevalence of novel coronavirus infection was around 0.73 per cent.

ICMR, along with some committees of experts set up by the health ministry, is investigating the reports of re-infection and the emerging evidence of the impact of coronavirus on other organs such as the heart and kidneys, and not just lungs. “The government is fully seized of the importance of the matter,” Vardhan said.

The health minister also said that the Centre had asked states to lower the prices of covid tests.

He said that private hospitals had been advised against the routine use of investigational therapies such as use of Remdesivir and plasma therapy. “Government has issued regular advisories regarding their rational usage,” Vardhan said.

Government has also proposed the development of three bulk drug parks and four medical device parks across India. “In times to come, we will not just be able to meet domestic requirements, but also be able to fulfil global demand for low-cost, quality medical devices,” Vardhan added.