Narendra Modi likely to hold virtual meet tomorrow with states over COVID situation, vaccine distribution plan

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet with chief ministers and other representatives of states and Union Territories via video conferencing on Tuesday to review the COVID-19 situation and discuss the vaccine distribution strategy, sources said. The leaders who would attend the meeting include Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, sources said. The prime minister, till now, has held several virtual meetings with states over the coronavirus situation. While the national daily COVID-19 case count has remained below 50,000 for some time, several urban centres have witnessed a surge, resulting in enforcement of several measures, including curfews in some cities. The central government has also been putting in place measures for quick and effective distribution of coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. Five vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which four are in Phase II/III and one is in Phase-I/II trials. India’s COVID-19 caseload went past 91,39,865 with 44,059 coronavirus infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries surged to 85,62,641, according to the Union Health Ministry data on Monday.