Third COVID Wave Feared Post-Diwali: Maharashtra Health Minister

Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday (October 19) said the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has not receded yet in the state but at the same time conditions are not favourable to immediately trigger the third wave. Speaking to reporters in the Nashik district, Mr Tope also said the COVID Task Force has cautioned about a third wave of the pandemic post the Diwali season.

Also Read: Maharashtra Health Minister Warns Of A Possibility Of COVID-19 Third Wave During Festivals

The second wave of the pandemic is not over yet. But there is no favourable condition for a third wave as of now. The state task force has cautioned of a third wave post the Diwali season. We are assessing the situation, he said.

Mr Tope said over nine crore people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 with at least one dose in Maharashtra and 35 per cent of them have taken both doses. He also said that no new coronavirus variant has been found yet and added that a special drive to inoculate the people left out so far will continue till the Diwali festival, which will be celebrated in the first week of November.

Mr Tope said the new challenge before the state administration is to get the college students vaccinated against COVID-19. He appealed to collegians to come forward for vaccination. Colleges in Maharashtra are set to reopen from October 20. The government had said that it would be advisable if students are fully inoculated to attend the physical classes.

Also Read: Celebrate Festivals With Caution, Second Covid Wave Not Yet Over: Centre

Referring to Mumbai not reporting any fresh death due to COVID-19 on Sunday for the first time nearly since the pandemic broke out in March last year, the minister said it was a big achievement for the city with a 1.5 crore population. The recent trend indicates that the number of COVID-19 cases is on the decline in Maharashtra. Maharashtra reported 1,485 COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest daily count in more than 17 months, and 27 deaths, taking the infection tally to 65,93,182 and the toll to 1,39,816, as per the state health department. As of Monday, Maharashtra had 28,008 active cases.

According to a study, India’s R-value, which reflects how rapidly the coronavirus pandemic is spreading, has remained below 1 since September, suggesting that the infection rate is declining.

Also Read: People Have To Come Forward To Prevent Further Spread Of COVID, Says Haryana Health Minister

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.