HomeNewsIndiaWearing masks not mandatory in Maharashtra but govt wants people to use them: Health minister Rajesh Tope

Wearing masks not mandatory in Maharashtra but govt wants people to use them: Health minister Rajesh Tope

"The government has not taken any decision on making the use of masks mandatory but we are urging people to wear masks. Instead of falling ill, citizens should observe hygiene, wear the mask and follow social distancing," Tope tweeted.

June 07, 2022 / 07:39 IST
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Representative image
Representative image

Wearing masks is not mandatory but people should use them voluntarily to contain the spread of coronavirus, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday amid the spiralling COVID-19 cases in the state. He said the issue was discussed in the state cabinet meeting.

"The government has not taken any decision on making the use of masks mandatory but we are urging people to wear masks. Instead of falling ill, citizens should observe hygiene, wear the mask and follow social distancing," Tope tweeted.

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Maharashtra has been witnessing a surge in daily COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. Monday was the fifth consecutive day the state witnessed 1,000 plus infections.

The health minister also appealed to people to undergo tests in case of any COVID symptoms. The annual Pandharpur pilgrimage or the Aashadhi wari also came up for discussion in the cabinet meeting.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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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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