Third Wave Of COVID-19 Is Inevitable: Govt’s Scientific Adviser
Mumbai: Principal Scientific Adviser of the Center, Vijay Raghavan said on Wednesday that the third wave of COVID-19 infection is inevitable given the high level of the circulating virus.
However, Raghavan said that it was not clear at what time the third phase would take place, urging everyone to be ready for the new waves.
Addressing a press meet, he said, “A 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 prepare for new waves.”
A 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 prepare for new waves: K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to Centre pic.twitter.com/c6lRzYaV2q
— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2021
“New variants will arise all over the world and in India too but variants that increase transmission will likely plateau. Immune evasive variants and those which lower or increase disease severity will arise going ahead,” he said.
He also said that scientists in India and around the world are working against them by forecasting new variants and developing early warnings and rapidly modifying tools. “It is an intensive research program, which is taking place in India and abroad,” he said.
“Variants are transmitted the same as the original strain. It doesn’t have the properties of new kinds of transmission. It infects humans in a manner that makes it more transmissible as it gains entry, makes more copies and goes on, same as original,” he added.
Scientists of India & all over world are working to anticipate these kinds of variants & act against them rapidly by early warning & developing modified tools. It’s an intense research program, happening in India & abroad: K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to Centre
— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2021
Meanwhile, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Luv Aggarwal said that Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar are among the states which are showing an increasing trend in daily COVID-19 cases.
“12 states have more than 1 lakh active cases, 7 states have 50,000 to 1 lakh active cases, and 17 states have less than 50,000 active cases. Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have around 1.5 lakh active cases,” Agarwal said at the press briefing.
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