Keypoints:
- Niti Aayog (health) member VK Paul said that if people go back doing what they were doing in December and January, the situation will again turn worse.
- Centre also said that the gains of containment, adhering to Covid appropriate behaviour should not be lost.
- Health Ministry’s data says that there has been a 68% decline in daily cases from May 7, when the highest peak of the second wave was reported.
Every state in the country is registering a significant dip in the number of daily infections and facilities which leads to the fact that the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic has started to flatten. However, on Friday, Centre issued a warning which said that the situation has not improved because the virus has changed its mind.
Niti Aayog (health) member VK Paul said that, “If we again start doing what we were doing as a society in December, January, the situation can again go into a difficult phase.”
“More of that we do higher will be the wave but if we proceed slowly and continue the tightrope walk, the wave will small. Maybe there will be no wave at all,” he said.
The Health Ministry’s data says that there has been a 68 per cent decline in daily cases beginning from May 7, when the highest peak of the second wave was reported.
There are around 377 districts which are reporting positivity rate less than five percent and 257 districts are reporting more than 100 daily Covid-19 cases.
“This is not happening automatically. There are no crowds.. a price that we pay. But we have made it difficult for the virus to travel. But we have to remembers that when the peak is declining, if we start doing what we were doing in January, it will come back again. This is mathematically valid and also valid by common sense,” Dr Paul said.
“If we suddenly go back to the situation of January, February, the next wave will be fast and will reach its peak faster. But if we maintain Covid appropriate behaviour, the wave will be smaller and may not come. We have to buy time to ensure that we achieve high coverage of vaccination before that,” Dr Paul said.
Experts say that a third wave of Covid pandemic in the country is very much possible the way the second wave has struck the county. Besides, its timing and impact cannot be predicted and it will depend on the lifting of restrictions and extend of vaccine coverage,etc. State governments are ramping up Covid care facilities for children because it has been predicted that third wave might impact children.
