Third wave of COVID-19 inevitable in India: AIIMS Director

NEW DELHI: Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS, in an interview with a news agency on June 19, said that third wave of coronavirus infections is inevitable in India, and is likely hit in the next six to eight weeks. He laid emphasis on following covid appropriate behavior among the whole unlocking process in the nation.

Talking about the new Delta-plus variant of the COVID-19, Dr Randeep said that there is a need for development of new frontier to further study the mutations and tackle the virus. Delta-plus variant has evolved from the Delta variant of the COVID-19 and has created fresh concerns about monoclonal antibody treatment.

Dr Randeep said that vaccinating such a large population is the major challenge currently against the fight of the pandemic. He suggested aggressive surveillance and tracking of cases in hotspots, along with implementation of mini lockdowns in any part which witnesses a surge in new cases and rise in positivity rate beyond 5 per cent.

The Government of India is aiming to vaccinate 108 crore of over 130 crore in the nation by the end of this year. So far, nearly 5 per cent of India’s population has been administered with both the doses of vaccines available in the nation.