The Chhattisgarh health minister said, as per the recent reports (of samples of COVID-19 patients from the state) received from the Centre, a new strain named N440K of the coronavirus has been found in eight patients. (Representative image: Reuters)

Chhattisgarh continued to witness a spurt in COVID-19 cases as 4,174 people were detected with the infection on April 1, the third consecutive day the addition was in the 4000 plus range, taking its overall tally to 357,978, an official said.

In another development, state Health Minister TS Singh Deo said a new variant of the coronavirus had been reported in eight patients of the state.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

With 43 deaths recorded during the day, the state-wide toll mounted to 4,247, while 52 people were discharged from hospitals and 893 completed home isolation, leaving the state with 31,858 active cases.

The number of people who have recovered from the infection increased to 321,873, he said.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

Show

Chhattisgarh surge continues with 4,174 cases, new strain detected

Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said a new variant of the coronavirus had been reported in eight patients of the state.

The Chhattisgarh health minister said, as per the recent reports (of samples of COVID-19 patients from the state) received from the Centre, a new strain named N440K of the coronavirus has been found in eight patients. (Representative image: Reuters)

Related stories