Coronavirus pandemic: PM Modi likens situation to 'social emergency', says experts seeking lockdown extension

This is PM Modi's first interaction with floor leaders, including those from the Opposition, after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 25

Moneycontrol News

April 08, 2020 / 16:50 IST

File image: PIB

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8 interacted with floor leaders of various political parties in Parliament via video conferencing to discuss the situation arising out of the spread of coronavirus.

During the meeting, PM Modi said, "The situation in the country is akin to a social emergency; it has necessitated tough decisions and we must continue to remain vigilant."

He also said that several state governments, district administrations and experts have asked for extension of the phase of 21-day lockdown, which is supposed to be ending on April 14.

The interaction was held through video conferencing and those participated, included leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar.

Modi interacted with leaders of those parties whose combined strength of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adds up to five.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

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.

How many types of vaccines are there?

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.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

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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Coronavirus pandemic: PM Modi likens situation to 'social emergency', says experts seeking lockdown extension

This is PM Modi's first interaction with floor leaders, including those from the Opposition, after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 25

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Coronavirus pandemic: PM Modi likens situation to 'social emergency', says experts seeking lockdown extension

This is PM Modi's first interaction with floor leaders, including those from the Opposition, after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 25

Related stories

Subscribe to Tech Newsletters

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