Eating ‘Bhabhi Ji Papad' can keep COVID-19 at bay: Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, on July 24, invited sharp reactions on Twitter after promoting a brand of papad (snacks), claiming it can help fight COVID-19.

In the video, the BJP MP from Bikaner, Rajasthan, can be heard claiming that Bhabhi Ji Papad is made of ingredients that can help create antibodies to fight the coronavirus.

Meghwal, the Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga rejuvenation, and Parliamentary Affairs further said, in the viral video, that the papad manufacturer came up with this product under the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.

In the video, he is seen saying, “My fellow countrymen, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign, a papad manufacturer has launched a papad under the brand name Bhabhi Ji, which can help develop antibodies needed to fight COVID-19.”

Meghwal's remarks drew sharp criticism, with Opposition leaders jumping at the opportunity to slam a Union Minister for promoting a brand based on hearsay, that too, at a time when the nation is battling fake news and fads amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

Is it possible either @DelhiPolice or @PoliceRajasthan take suo moto action against @arjunrammeghwal
ji for spreading fake and unscientific information during pandemic. https://t.co/wjAeAVEcP6

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A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

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There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

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Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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— Hitendra Pithadiya

"Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has launched a 'papad' brand amid covid pandemic claiming that it contains some ingredients that help develop antibodies against the new coronavirus". Ministers, Ramdev all trying to profit from Covid peddling bogus cures https://t.co/GgjBNDc4Y6

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) July 24, 2020

Breaking News : CORONA vaccine invented .

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has launched a 'papad' , says ‘it can help develop antibodies against Covid-19’ .https://t.co/XdEJddpXEe

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— WB Youth Congress (@IYCWestBengal) July 24, 2020