Covid-19 third wave to hit in August end, perhaps with lesser intensity than second wave: ICMR member

A sudden rise in the R value has already hinted towards a possible third wave of Covid-19 in India. According to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) member, the third wave is likely to hit at the end of August but with less intensity.

"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," Dr Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, ICMR, told NDTV.

Read | Next 100 days crucial to ward off threats of Covid-19 third wave, says Centre

According to Dr Panda, four things could lead to the third wave – drop in immunity from the first and second wave, emergence of a new variant that could bypass immunity, ora variant that can spread faster, and premature lifting of restrictions by the states.

Talking about the Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus, he said that while it had swept the country, he did not expect “any more public health havoc from the Delta variant.”

The Tuesday Interview | 'One dose of vectored vaccine for all first is not a bad strategy'

In the past few weeks, different medical bodies and organisations across the world have been talking about the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Indian Medical Association has said that the third wave is "inevitable and imminent" and pointing that "in many parts of the country both the government and public are complacent and engaged in mass gatherings without following Covid protocols”.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organisation chief, has warned that the third wave driven by the Delta variant is in the “early stages” in the world.