NEW DELHI, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to citizens that they should not be careless in the fight against COVID-19 till a proper vaccine is available in the country.

He said the festive season was round the corner across the country, and that there is a greater need to be careful in fighting against the pandemic.

"The lockdown is over but the coronavirus is not over yet. In recent days we saw some people having started being complacent. I appeal to all the citizens with folded hands that there should be no carelessness as far as the fight against COVID-19 is concerned," said Modi in his 12-minute address to the nation.

He added that compared to many developed nations, the recovery rate is much higher and the death rate very low in India.

"In India, an average 5,500 COVID-19 cases are detected in every 1 million people, while in countries like the United States and Brazil, as many as 25,000 cases are registered in every 1 million people. Similarly, the death rate in India is 83 per 1 million people, while it is above 600 in countries like the United States, Spain, Brazil, and the U.K.," added Modi.

The Indian premier also said there were around 2,000 testing labs across the country for conducting COVID-19 tests. "Very soon we will surpass the figure of 100 million COVID-19 tests," he added.

Modi also said Indian scientists are working in developing COVID-19 vaccines, and that once it is available it would be provided to every citizen.

Ending his address to the nation, Modi appealed to the citizens to follow COVID-19 instructions like wearing a mask while venturing out of their homes, regularly washing hands with soap and maintaining social distancing.