NEW DELHI: Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, said that the next two and a half months are going to be very crucial in the nation’s fight against COVID-19 because of the upcoming winter season and festivals. He was present in a meeting with Directors of institutions of the Department of Science and Technology and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Friday, October 16. He also provided information about three vaccine candidates, one of which is in phase III clinical trials. He expressed hope that soon India will have indigenous production of vaccine against coronavirus.
The minister had earlier warned of a spike in the number of cases during winter and said, “SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus and the transmission of respiratory viruses is known to increase during the colder weather. Respiratory viruses thrive better in cold weather and low humidity conditions.” He mentioned the fact that during winter, there is a tendency of overcrowding in residential dwellings which may increase transmission.