Third Wave Of COVID-19 Pandemic ‘Inevitable’: Government

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday (May 5) said that a third wave of coronavirus pandemic was “inevitable”, although a time-frame for it could not be predicted. In a press briefing by the Ministry of Health Affairs on Wednesday, officials said the long COVID-19 wave of such “ferocity” that the country was experiencing currently “was not predicted”. Twelve states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, have more than 1 lakh active COVID cases, the government said. Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Bihar are among the states that show increasing trend in daily cases, it said.

Also Read: ‘Indian Strain’ Of Coronavirus Found In 17 Countries: WHO

The government also said that 24 states and UTs show more than 15 per cent COVID positivity rate. From May 1, 6.71 lakh people in the age group of 18-44 years in nine states have been administered the vaccines, it added.

Phase three is inevitable given the higher levels of circulating virus, but it is not clear on what time-scale this phase three will occur. We should be prepared for new waves, said K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific advisor to the Centre.

Member, NITI Ayog, Dr VK Paul requested “physicians’ fraternity” to come forward and provide teleconsultations to people and families at home who are infected with coronavirus.

Also Read: One In Four People Experience Mild Side Effects From Covishield COVID-19 Vaccine: Lancet Study

The response to the changing virus remains the same. We need to follow the COVID- appropriate behaviour such as mask, distancing, hygiene, no unnecessary meetings and staying at home, Dr Paul said.

In reply to a question, he said that the disease is not spreading through animals, bot through human to human transmission. Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said that the foreign aid coming from abroad is being monitored by a group of senior officials.

Our technical wing has made guidelines to see that what hospital would the equipment be suitable for. The equipment is being sent to hospitals where an immediate need has been felt, he said.

Mr. Agarwal also said that 11 districts in Maharashtra are showing continuous decline in COVID cases since the last 14 days, while some districts like Satara and Solapur show a continued increase in such cases over the last two weeks. He also said that the government is making continuous efforts to build capacities of all healthcare facilities across the country.

Also Read: Single Vaccine Dose Cuts COVID-19 Transmission By Half: UK Study

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

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. 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 highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. 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 become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.