Dr Harsh Vardhan

Reacting to emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the premature authorization of ‘Covaxin’ may be unsafe as it is still undergoing the Phase-3 clinical trials.  Moreover, he requested Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to wait for the final stage of Covaxin, meanwhile resort to the AstraZeneca vaccine. Earlier, Indian Drug Controller General had announced emergency and restricted use of COVID vaccines from Serum… read-more

For the recent spurt in COVID-19 cases in Kerala, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on October 18 blamed the state government for showing laxity during the Onam celebrations. Citing this, the minister asked other states to take lessons from Kerala and take care ahead of the festive season. Reportedly, Kerala's Health Minister K K Shailaja had said that carelessness against COVID-19 was observed on the public's part during Onam.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that an ageing population can be an asset if supported by adequate investments. While launching the "Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020-2030)" campaign to commemorate International Day of Older Persons, he said Longitudinal Aging Study of India (LASI) will provide evidence and data that can help government to decide on policies for senior citizens. The "Decade of Healthy Ageing" aims to address problems of older… read-more

Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, on September 28, said that the COVID-19 vaccine would most likely be available by early 2021. According to him, three vaccines are currently under development in India under ICMR's supervision. He also launched an online portal where people can access research studies, on the technical progress of the vaccine manufacturing and stated that the ICMR was “always at the forefront when it comes to medical research… read-more

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asserted that the Centre had made commendable efforts to help people during the lockdown but their "irresponsible behaviour" had caused a surge in the number of cases. Speaking at the Lok Sabha session on September 20, he lauded PM Modi and said 'Janata curfew' helped prepare the country for lockdown. He also requested the members to spread awareness and stressed the importance of 'breaking the chain'.