Third Covid wave in 6-8 weeks if people don’t comply with Covid norms, says AIIMS Chief
19th June: On Saturday, AIIMS chief Randeep Guleria warned that the third wave could hit India as early as within 6-8 weeks if the public fails to comply with Covid appropriate behaviour.
Speaking to NDTV, Dr Guleria said, “Although a new wave strikes usually in a three-month period, the arrival of the third wave could be expedited through the violation of COVID-appropriate behaviour.”
The AIIMS director also said that so far, no evidence points to the fact that children will be affected more in the next Covid-19 wave.
Further, Guleria shunned Nation-wide lockdown as a solution to tackle any Covid wave saying it will severely impact the economic activity. Instead, he emphasized micro-management of the virus to keep it in check. “The moment a significant surge in cases is noted in a particular area and the positivity rate goes beyond 5%, area-specific lockdown and containment measures should be implemented,” he said.
On Saturday, India posted 60,753 new Covid cases and 1,647 fresh fatalities. The number of active cases stands at 7,60,019, comprising 2.55% of the total infections, while the national coronavirus recovery rate has improved to 96.16%.
