New Delhi 

A proportion of the vaccinated individuals may still have mild or asymptomatic infections of COVID-19 deadly virus, Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar warned through Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Therefore, the Minister said, it is important to maintain COVID appropriate behaviour at all times including strict use of masks, following social distancing, and hand-washing.

Citing the available scientific literature, the Minister, however, said, "Most of the current COVID-19 vaccines are disease-modifying in nature wherein mortality and hospitalizations are significantly reduced in vaccinated individuals".

Pawar's statement came in a written reply to a question asked by CPI(M) MP Jharna Das Baidya.

The Minister also informed the Upper House that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have developed an India COVID-19 vaccination tracker which depicts the overall as well as age disaggregated information on numbers of COVID-19 deaths in unvaccinated individuals compared with numbers of deaths in partially and fully vaccinated individuals.

She further said that the Central government through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in pursuance of directions given by the Supreme Court has issued guidelines to provide for ex-gratia assistance to the kin of the deceased by COVID-19.

"NDMA has recommended payment of an amount of Rs 50,000 per deceased person including those involved in relief operations or associated in preparedness activities, through State Disaster Response Fund subject to the cause of death being certified as COVID-19," she added.