Second Wave Not Over, Third Wave Severity to Depend on People's Behaviour: AIIMS Director

As the number of daily Covid infections in India approaches 40,000, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria warned on Friday that the second wave of the pandemic in India is still ongoing.

Dr. Guleria told ANI that the potential of a third wave in India is dependent on how well people adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour.

“I would suggest that people should understand that the second wave of the pandemic is not over yet. Daily, we are getting more than 40,000 cases. It is important for everyone to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. If we follow this, then another wave will not come,” Dr Guleria said.

During the second wave of the pandemic, which began at the end of March and peaked in early May, India saw record deaths and people scrambling for healthcare facilities and medical oxygen.

The number of cases dropped in the following weeks and has been hovering around 40,000 for the last month, prompting the Centre to announce that the pandemic’s second wave is still ongoing.

When asked about the possibility of a third wave of the virus, Dr Guleria indicated that if people follow the regulations, the impact will be less severe than what India experienced in April and May.

“If the third wave arrives, it will be mild only if people behave in accordance with Covid-19,” he stated.

Professors at IIT Kanpur and IIT Hyderabad have predicted a new Covid-19 outbreak in mid-August, with a peak in October depending on the virus’ variant type.

They predicted that if the variant is more contagious than the Delta strain that triggered the second wave, cases will rise.

Gagandeep Kang, a renowned Indian microbiologist and virologist, said in an interview with ANI that the third wave is dependent on the type of virus’ variants or strains.

“I think a lot depends on whether the wave is driven by variants, or driven by strains, if it’s driven by variants, then it becomes very difficult to predict what numbers are likely to be,” Dr Kang said.

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