IndiaFightsCorona
Third wave likely to hit in August, may be comparatively mild: ICMR
New Delhi/IBNS: The third wave of COVID is likely to hit India during the end of August and might be comparatively mild than the second one, Dr Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has told NDTV.
"There would be a nationwide third wave but that does not mean that it would be as high or as intense as the second wave," Panda told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
According to him, four factors could lead to the third wave-the first of these is a situation where the immunity acquired in the last two waves goes down. "If that goes down, it could lead to a third wave," he said.
Secondly, there could be a variant that can bypass the immunity acquired.
In the third instance, the new variant may not be able to bypass immunity but can circulate fast in the population.
Fourthly if the restrictions are lifted prematurely by state, there could be a fresh surge in cases.
Earlier, India's top doctor body-the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had appealed to the Centre and state governments to not let the guard down, as the third wave of COVID-19 is "inevitable".
The IMA had warned that India had only recovered from the disastrous second wave, owing to considerable efforts of the modern medical fraternity and political leadership.
The medical body had also expressed pain that many authorities are showing complacency in allowing mass gatherings across various parts of the country.
Meanwhile, India on Thursday reported 41,806 new COVID-19 cases as per the data of India's Health Ministry.
As many as 581 people have died apparently due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours.
The recovery has further improved 97.28% with 39,130 patients recovering from the respiratory disease in the last one day.
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