Centre's Scientific Advisor no longer says 'Third COVID wave inevitable', but only if...

As India is struggling to deal with the deadly second wave of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare on Friday said that the third wave of the pandemic can be avoided. While addressing a press briefing, Principal Scientific Advisor to Centre Professor K VijayRaghavan asserted that if citizens take strong measures, the third wave may not happen in all places or anywhere at all. This will totally depend on how seriously COVID appropriate behaviour is being followed at the local level. It is notable that it was the Principal Scientific Advisor.

"If we take strong measures, the third wave may not happen in all the places or indeed anywhere at all. It depends much on how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level, in the states, in districts & the cities everywhere," said the Principal Scientific Advisor.

It was also highlighted that there are certain states where cases are on a surge, those states need to take strict COVID prevention actions.

"Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Haryana and Bihar have a high caseload. When we see states where the trend is going upwards, those states are Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha and Uttarakhand, " said Arti Ahuja, Additional Secretary (Health)

Other states with an increasing trend in daily new cases are Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland. The ministry also informed that the COVID doesn't spread through Water. The virus mainly spread through the air-- when people are standing close and droplets are released but it doesn't spread through the water as it gets diluted in water.

'Third COVID Wave Inevitable In India': PSA

On May 5, the Health Ministry addressed a press conference after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)  released its new guidelines over Testing. Principal Scientific Advisor Raghavan urged the people and the country to be prepared well in advance for the third phase and warned that there is s no clarity when the third phase will occur but is ínveitable.

"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," said Raghavan.

COVID Cases in India

As per Union Health Ministry, India reported 4,14,188 new COVID19 cases, 3,31,507 discharges, and 3,915 deaths in the last 24 hours.

• Total cases: 2,14,91,598
• Total recoveries: 1,76,12,351
• Death toll: 2,34,083
• Active cases: 36,45,164
• Total vaccination: 16,49,73,058

(Image Credits: PTI)