Govt health expert says peak of third Covid-19 wave soon; Centre asks states to be ready

With India’s Covid numbers increasing by 8 times in the last two weeks, an expert advising the government on Tuesday said that a peak for the third wave might be on the horizon, but added that there was no need for a panic, even as the Union Health Ministry reminded the states to be ready for a surge.

"Looking at the behaviour of the Covid infection in the last seven to 10 days in India, I feel that we may be in for a third wave peak very soon," said N K Arora, chairperson of the Covid working group at the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

India’s daily Covid count fell to just 5,326 on December 20, but began to rise sharply after a week to cross the 40,000-mark on Tuesday. Even though most of the cases are either mild or asymptomatic, there is a slow rise in hospital bed occupancy in Delhi and Mumbai.

Also read: Karnataka imposes weekend curfew for 2 weeks to curb spread of Covid-19

In a letter to the state administrations, the ministry asked the states to repurpose the beds in private and public hospitals and start the work on reestablishment and recommissioning of make-shift or field hospitals so that in the eventuality of a potential surge, the states were not found wanting.

Arti Ahuja, an additional secretary in the ministry, asked the states to open Covid Care Centres in hotel rooms and similar accommodations, and link them with dedicated Covid-19 hospitals. Moreover, the states are also to procure and stock logistical supplies like testing reagents and kits.

Arora, however, said there was no need to panic. "Those who are yet to take the vaccine or are partially immunised should get the jab for protection against severe disease and hospitalisation. Also, one should strictly follow Covid-appropriate behaviour," he said.

Independent experts are also hopeful that the next wave would not be as disastrous as the last one. “The next wave by Omicron will not be as ferocious as Delta. Ultimately we will rely more and more on vaccines to manage Covid-19 – be it endemic or epidemic. Vaccinations will eventually become routine -- and will most probably start in early childhood,” veteran virologist T Jacob John, a former professor at the Christian Medical College, Vellore told DH.

Till Monday, India detected 1,892 confirmed Omicron cases from 23 states and Union Territories, Maharashtra topping the list with 568 Omicron cases, followed by Delhi (382), Kerala (185), Rajasthan (174), Gujarat (152) and Tamil Nadu (121).

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