EC issues COVID-19 protocol for May 2: Negative test report must for candidates, polling agents to enter counting centres

All forms of public gathering outside the counting centres has also been barred by the Election Commission to prevent the violation of social distancing norms.

Moneycontrol News

April 28, 2021 / 03:56 PM IST

File image of security personnel guarding the electronic voting machines

The Election Commission on April 28 issued the COVID-19 protocol for May 2, when the counting of votes would be held for the recently contested assembly elections.

The candidates and their respective polling agents would be allowed entry inside the counting centres only if they carry COVID-19 negative test report.

Both form of tests - RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests - would be valid for entry in the counting centres, as per the EC order. The test should be conducted within 48 hours before the day of counting.

The negative test report, however, would not be required by those candidates and polling agents who have received both doses of the vaccine, the EC said.

Also Read: Election Commission bans victory processions during and after vote counting on May 2

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