NITI Aayog member Dr V. K. Paul on Tuesday said thwarting the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic is in the hands of the people as "it can be stopped if Covid appropriate behaviour is adhered to, and the majority of the people get vaccinated".He said the day one vaccination figures demonstrate India's ability to carry out vaccination on a large-scale for days and weeks together.

Explaining the expected third Covid wave, Paul said, "Whether or not a third wave occurs is in our hands." "Why will there be a third wave if we follow Covid appropriate behaviour and get ourselves vaccinated? There are many countries where even the second wave has not arrived. If we follow Covid appropriate behaviour, this period will pass," a Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) statement mentioned quoting Paul.

The NITI Aayog Member highligted the importance of fast vaccination in order to enable India to open its economy and resume normal work and emphasised on fast vaccination as a key to go back to normal. "We need to do our daily work, maintain our social life, open schools, businesses, take care of our economy; we will be able to do all this only when we are able to vaccinate at a fast pace," Paul said, adding that "Vaccines are saving lives, now is the best time to take the vaccine." He also dismissed the rumours against Covid-19 vaccines, saying "it is a big mistake to think that our vaccines are unsafe".

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