New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that there is a need to counter rumours about COVID-19 vaccination and usage of masks.

“We need to counter any attempt of spreading rumours against vaccination. Several times, we get to hear that ‘getting infected with COVID despite vaccination, what’s its use’. Even for masks, such rumours are spread that it does not benefit. There is a need to counter such rumours,” the Prime Minister said during his virtual meeting with Chief Ministers of States on the COVID-19 situation.

The Prime Minister further said that in the fight against COVID, the country has nearly two years of experience.

#WATCH | We need to counter rumours about vaccination like "getting Covid despite vaccination, what's its use"…: PM Modi during the meeting on COVID with states pic.twitter.com/fUr0X2by6P

— ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2022

“We must ensure that financial activities aren’t affected and we must keep up our growth. To ensure the same, we must focus on local containment. We must increase testing in the areas from where more cases are emerging,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also said maximum treatment of COVID patients must be done in home isolation. “For this, it is important to follow home isolation guideline and protocols and improvise as per the situation,” he said.

“During home isolation, the better the facility of tracking and treatment, the lesser there will be the need to go to hospitals,” the PM said.

In his address, the Prime Minister also said that Omicron variant is spreading more rapidly as compared to other variants adding that there is a need to stay alert and avoid panic.

India has reported a surge in COVID-19 cases in the recent past.

India on Thursday reported 2,47,417 fresh COVID-19 cases. The new cases reported on Thursday are about 27 per cent higher as compared to yesterday’s figures. On Wednesday, the country had seen 1,94,720 new COVID-19 cases.