Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the lockdown may have ended but the virus is still out there and urged the people not to be complacent and drop their guard in the fight against COVID-19. He emphasized that the government is working on a blueprint to make the COVID-19 vaccine when it is ready, available to each and every citizen.

In an address to the nation, Modi said he recently saw many pictures and videos where it is clearly seen that people are not taking precautions to contain the spread of the virus. "This is not right", he said.

Modi emphasized that India is doing better than many developed countries in the fight against the coronavirus. He said the fatality rate in India is 83 out of every 10 lakh (one million) population, whereas it is more than 600 in countries like the US, Brazil, Spain, Britain. He reiterated that until a vaccine is developed against the virus, people should not drop their guard and indulge in reckless behaviour.

On the development of the vaccine, he said the scientists of the country are working on a war footing to develop a vaccine and a few candidates are in an advanced stage of trials.

Modi added that initially in the US and many countries in Europe coronavirus cases dropped very sharply, but they begin to rise again at an alarming speed. Modi said that until the vaccine becomes available people should remain vigilant against the spread of the virus.

(IANS)