With the threat of third wave of coronavirus looming, experts warned that one should not lower their guard even as many have immunity against coronavirus due to previous infections or vaccination.
Dr Yudhyavir Singh, who has been managing the COVID-19 ICU at AIIMS New Delhi, said a guarded approach is needed in terms of implementing restrictive measures to avoid a second wave-like crisis.
He said it is important to ease a few curbs to resume economic activities when cases are low but a “guarded approach in terms of following COVID-19-appropriate behaviour and implementing restrictive measures” should be adopted.
However, Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the Community Medicine department, Safdarjung Hospital, said a new variant could bypass the immunity achieved through vaccination and previous infection.
“Two cases are possible first, the virus continues to infect people slowly until heard immunity is attained, and second, a new, more infectious variant leads to an increase in cases till everyone has immunity. But it seems the third wave won’t be as severe as the second,” he said, PTI reported.
Dr Pooja Khosla, senior consultant (Department of Medicine), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said the infections can increase exponentially anytime.
“There are warning signs from different parts of the world. In India too, a small increase in cases has been recorded. Infections can increase exponentially anytime. I think one should not assume anything and make all efforts to prevent a second wave-like crisis, which was a nightmare,” she said.
Dr Khosla warned against relaxing all curbs and said that everyone has been saying the third wave is a couple of days away.
“Opening everything is not appropriate,” she said, adding that second wave of the coronavirus has taught us that cases can increase suddenly.
Meanwhile, Pragya Sharma, professor (Department of Community Medicine) at the Maulana Azad Medical College, said a third wave is a certain thing but the number of people it will infect will depend on the implementation of preventive measures and the pace of vaccination.
