New Delhi, Oct 20 (UNI) Calling on people of the country not to lower their guard against Covid till the time a vaccine is developed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that there is a need to keep our fight against coronavirus going'.

Addressing the nation on Tuesday evening, he said ,'recently, we saw many photos and videos where it is clearly seen that people are not careful anymore. This isn't right. If you step out without mask, you put your families at risk. We must remember - whether it is America or Europe, cases declined and then there was sudden spike.

I pray to all of you, I want to see all of you safe and your families happy. I want to see festivals bring cheer your lives," PM said.

Cautioning people to celebrate festivals like Diwali, Eid, Guru Nanak Jayanti, etc, keeping in mind the SOPs of social distancing, the PM said,'we are moving through a difficult time. A little carelessness can stop our movement. It may dampen our happiness. If we will carry the responsibilities of life and vigilance simultaneously, only then there will be happiness in life.'

Quoting Kabir, the PM said that the poet had said one should not rest till crops are brought home from the field.

'Similary, we should not relax till Covid brought under control,'he said.

. PM also quoted Ramcharitmaanas as saying an enemy, a mistake and an ailment should never be underestimated.

'Hence, we too should not underestimate Covid threat,'he said.

'Until the vaccine of this pandemic comes, we should not let our fight with
Corona weaken,' the Prime Minister said.

He said the scientists of India are working hard for making the COVID-19 vaccine.

'Work on several corona vaccines is currently going on in India. Some of these are on an advanced stage,' he said.

PM said Government is preparing to make sure that Covid-19 vaccine reaches every person.

'Government is preparing for making the vaccine accessible to every Indian as soon as it is made available. 'he said.

'Whenever the vaccine of Corona will come, the government is also preparing for how to reach every Indian as soon as possible,' he said.

The PM said that from the Janata curfew against Corona till today Indians have come a long way.. With efforts of every Indian over last 7-8 months, India is in a stable situation.

The Prime Minister said that India is in a better position to tackle covid compared to other countries.

'Today, the recovery rate in the country is good. The fatality rate is low.
In India, the death rate at per million population is 83. On the contrary, in several countries such as US, UK and Brazil, the number is over 600.
5,500 people out of every 10 Lakh population in India are infected, whereas in countries like the US and Brazil this figure is around 25,000.
India has been successful in saving lives of its citizens better than more prosperous countries,'the PM said.

'India has a facility of more than 90 lakh beds for COVID19 patients. There are 12,000 quarantine centres, around 2000 Corona testing labs. Number of tests will cross 10 Crores soon. In our fight against COVID, rise in the number of tests has been our strength,'the PM said.

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