Ganesh Chaturthi 2021: Public celebration banned in these states

The Maharashtra government has now prohibited any physical 'darshan' of Ganesh idols or entry into Ganpati Mandals (associations) during the festival, which is usually celebrated on a large scale in the state.

Moneycontrol News

September 10, 2021 / 09:03 IST

Devotees prepare to cover an eco-friendly papier-mache idol of the Hindu god Ganesha placed on a giant mock vial of the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai. (Image: AFP)

Amid the fears of a possible COVID-19 third wave, some states have banned public celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi to prevent large gatherings.

Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government has now prohibited any physical 'darshan' of Ganesh idols or entry into Ganpati Mandals (associations) during the festival, which is usually celebrated on a large scale in the state.

Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar said the third wave of COVID-19 is already here, and requested people to celebrate the festival at home.

Only "online" darshan will be allowed inMumbai.

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.

Show