HIGHLIGHTS

• 29 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to date
• 22 cases of Delta Plus variant have been reported in India: Rajesh Bhushan
• Genome sequencing of a total of 45,000 samples has been conducted at 28 INSACOG labs

Covaxin and Covishield are effective against the Delta variant of coronavirus, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Tuesday. Any variant is categorised as ‘variant of interest’ or ‘variant of concern’ on the basis of its transmissibility and virulence, he added.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Rajesh Bhushan said the Delta variant has been found in 80 countries, including in India. The Health Secretary went on to say that the Delta Plus variant has been found in nine countries – USA, UK, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Poland, Nepal, China, Russia and India.

“A total of 22 cases of the Delta Plus variant have been reported in India to date. The variant has been categorised as a variant of interest for now. It is not a variant of concern yet,” said Rajesh Bhushan.

Maharashtra’s Jalgaon and Ratnagiri districts account for 16 of the 22 cases of the Delta Plus variant reported in India, the Health Secretary told reporters on Tuesday. He also said that the remaining cases of this ‘variant of interest’ have come to light from Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.

The Health ministry has written to Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala, asking them to closely monitor the Delta Plus variant cases of infection, he added.

Rajesh Bhushan also said that there are 28 labs now part of the INSACOG consortium. Genome sequencing of a total of 45,000 samples has been conducted at these labs.

Genome sequencing is correlated with clinical data and the results are shared with the health ministry which, in turn, alerts states about variants and steps to control their spread, the Health Secretary told reporters.

63% vaccines administered in rural India to date: Health Ministry

Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said a total of 88.09 lakh doses were administered on June 21, the first day of the new vaccine policy. Madhya Pradesh left other states behind by administering 17 lakh doses on a single day, followed by Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The CoWIN platform now includes the third gender category, said Rajesh Bhushan. We have recorded as many as 2.4 billion visits on the CoWIN platform, he added. The health secretary also told reporters that several countries have expressed interest in using CoWIN for their own vaccination drive.

A total of 29 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered across the country to date. Women accounted for 46 per cent of vaccine beneficiaries on June 21 while men accounted for the remaining 54 per cent.

According to the Health Ministry, rural districts accounted for 63.68 per cent of the vaccines administered in India on Monday. Similarly, 92 per cent of the jabs were administered at government-run vaccination centres on the first day of the new vaccine policy.

“Rural coverage of vaccines has been remarkable and has been emphasized,” said Dr VK Paul.