Ever since the second wave of Covid-19 started declining in various parts of the country, the next question raised by most people was ‘when will the third wave hit us ?’
“There is no clarity on the timeline of the third wave. We will see as increase in the number of cases in near future. What is, however, important is how we behave. If people follow Covid-appropriate behavior and as more and more people are vaccinated, the third wave could be delayed. It could also have lesser impact than the second or first wave”, says Dr.Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi in an interview with NDTV.
If Covid-appropriate behavior is followed, and if the speed of vaccination is increased, the third wave can be delayed. He underlined that vaccines can prevent severe illness, hospitalization and even death due to the infection but advised people to stick to covid norms.
India has so far vaccinated 6.8% of its population, and the Centre has many miles to go to achieve its goal of vaccinating all adults by the end of this year. Dr.Randeep says that India should be able to vaccinate 60% of its population by the end of this year. “More vaccine doses are likely to be rolled out soon and the pace will pick up by next month (August)”.
We all want things to turn back the way they were. We all will certainly wish to breathe the fresh air without worries. For these to happen, strict adherence to covid norms and vaccine are the best solution.
We saw how hospital beds filled during the second wave. If we don’t want history to repeat itself, we should discard our hesitancy towards vaccination, and follow the guidelines. We can definitely delay third wave, and decrease its impact.
Vaccines for Children:
“In the coming few weeks or by September, vaccines should be available for children,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. He, however, clarified that it will all depend on what the data shows and approval from the country’s apex drug regulator. “It all depends on regulatory approvals and data from trials. Unclear exactly when it will start,” Dr.Guleria told Hindustan Times.