Covid & Its 3rd Wave

Health authorities have been warning of a possible third wave of Covid-19 infections. Having failed to adequately prepare for the second wave of coronavirus infections, officials and health authorities are now routinely warning people of the possibility of a third wave. It started earlier this month with the Principal Scientific Advisor K VijayRaghavan calling the third wave “inevitable” even though its timing could not be predicted. There is no textbook definition of what constitutes a wave in an epidemic. The term is used generically to describe the rising and declining trends of infections over a prolonged period. There are three very distinct peaks in its growth curve even before the current wave, while in states like Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, the growth curves had a much more diffused look until February, lacking a sharp peak. It would be difficult to identify distinct waves in such a situation.

The World Health Organization this week has set the alarm bells ringing as it said that the world is at the very advanced stages of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. This wave is mostly being driven by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, first reported in India. Has the third wave in India set in? Niti Aayog member (health) VK Paul said this week that the present situation in India is under control. But India is far from achieving herd immunity either through vaccination or through natural infection. The third wave of Corona in India – Precaution needed to Stay Safe at Home is discussed with proper details. The Government of India has recently issued a warning regarding the third wave of corona disease, which has been continuously spreading.