With the Omicron variant, the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic may arrive in February due to the coronavirus increasing new threats in India. However, it is also expected to remain weaker than the previous wave.
These claims have been made by the data scientist team of IIT. According to them, in the third wave, maximum cases can come from 1 to 1.5 lakh per day. Data scientist Manindra Agarwal, who was involved in the study team, said that Omicron could be behind this big figure.
The new variant has created new apprehensions. However, so far it has been seen that the lethality of Omicron is not like that of Delta. There is a need to look at the cases being found in South Africa. Where despite the high number of cases, the rate of admission is still low. But it cannot be taken lightly. In the coming days, seeing the ratio of new infections and people admitted there, the situation will become clearer.
Agarwal said that last time the number of infected was brought down by stopping night curfew and crowded events. Even further, the infection can be controlled by applying lockdown at a mild level.
The Department of Science and Technology had presented a formula model, in which a third wave can come in October if a new variant of the virus appeared. However, in the last week of November, a new variant Omicron has surfaced. Therefore, the apprehension expressed in the model of the department is not completely eliminated, only time can change.
More than 50% of the eligible population in the country has been fully immunized. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called upon the countrymen to maintain this momentum to strengthen the fight against COVID-19. He said that India has crossed another important milestone. On Monday, 8,306 new cases of corona infection were reported in the country, along with 211 deaths were recorded.
In India, the 'extra dose' of the Covid-19 vaccine to patients suffering from serious diseases and vaccination of children is being considered. The National Technical Advisory Group for Immunization discussed this on Monday. However, no final consensus or recommendation has been given by the members on these issues so far.
The additional dose will be different from the 'booster dose' that many countries are administering to all adult citizens. However, so far, no solid scientific evidence has come to the fore regarding the benefits of booster doses. According to sources, this is the reason why booster doses were not on the agenda of the group's discussion.
On the other hand, additional doses can be given to people who are already suffering from serious diseases. These include cancer, organ transplant, and AIDS patients.
These patients have been categorized as immuno-compromised and immuno-suppressed. That is people who have low immunity. An attempt can be made to protect these people from the potential dangers of Covid-19 by giving additional doses in addition to the regular dose of the vaccine. Vaccination of children was also discussed, but here also no final recommendation has been made.
