New Delhi: The Coronavirus precautions being strictly advised because of the pandemic are here to stay for the long haul even after a vaccine is available, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) chief professor Balram Bhargava talked about the same in a webinar held on Saturday. ALSO READ | 'Applying For Emergency Use Of Covid Vaccine In 2 Weeks', Says Serum Institute's Adar Poonawalla After PM Modi's Visit

Speaking at a webinar titled 'Changing paradigms in Covid-19 management' at Lucknow’s King George Medical University, ICMR director general Balram Bhargava said that India is making rapid progress in the development of vaccines.

"We have a target to provide vaccine to 30 crore people by July next year. The future course of action will be decided after that. India will develop a vaccine, not just for itself but for 60 percent of the developing nations. Twenty four manufacturing units and 19 firms will be engaged in developing a Covid-19 vaccine," Hindustan Times quoted Bhargava as saying.

However, he emphasised that a mask works like a "fabric vaccine" and will stay even after a vaccine is available. Masks also play a crucial role in keeping recovered patients safe, he added.

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"Mask is like a fabric vaccine. We cannot ignore the contribution made by masks in stopping the spread of Covid-19. We are working on vaccines, five candidates are undergoing trial in India. Out of these, two are being developed by India which three are from abroad. But vaccines won’t be enough to end Covid-19. We will have to keep following health and safety protocols," Dr. Bhargava said.

He has stated that the Covid-19 guidelines will have to be followed and the face mask may never go away even after we have a vaccine. However, as some relief for people, the possibility of another lockdown has been ruled out by him.

"They (masks) may even never go away. The vaccine will give some protection but masks or the fabric vaccine will have to continue. I don’t think we can give up these measures including social distancing," Prof Bhargava reportedly said.

On the vaccine development front, PM Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the development and manufacturing process of coronavirus vaccines at three facilities - he visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad, and Serum Institute of India in Pune.

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