Third Wave of Covid-19 Inevitable in India, Says Govt's Chief Scientific Advisor
According to Prof. K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific advisor to the central government, the third wave of Covid-19 is unavoidable in India. The time and the scale is not certain at the present time. Addressing a press briefing highlighting the coronavirus disease situation in India, Prof Raghavan reportedly stated that every citizen must be ready for the third wave as Covid-19 variants are changing in nature.
Prof. Raghavan emphasized that while coronavirus vaccines are effective against Covid-19 variants, the scientific community should keep working on vaccines and make changes accordingly. He further stated that it is important to care about SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing Covid-19) even if we can upgrade vaccines because it is important to make a map of all changes that can take place in the virus. Reinfection is highly possible and immunity can also fade away. We must not forget that decreased immunity and careless behaviour have driven the second wave, he stated.
According to Dr. Giridhar Babu, epidemiologist and professor at the Indian Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, the third wave is likely to hit India around November end and early December this year. He highlighted that it is extremely important that all vulnerable sections are vaccinated before the festive season. The next wave will affect mostly the younger generation, he stated.
Dr. Giridhar Babu stated that India requires to finalise a long-term plan so that multiple waves can be managed. He stated that a decline is predicted by the end of this week, that is by May 7. Moreover, cases should start declining, however, different states will witness Covid-19 peaks at different times. If we vaccinate a major part of the at-risk population in the coming six months, the third wave could end up being a third bump rather than being a horrific wave, he stated.
It must be noted that India on Thursday recorded 4,12,262 new Covid-19 infections. As per the Health Ministry, this is the second time that the tally has crossed the four-lakh mark, after 4,02,351 infection cases were recorded on April 30.
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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.
