Third wave alert

1 min read . Updated: 12 Jul 2021, 11:37 PM IST Livemin

We remain vulnerable to a covid resurgence. Whether Vipin Srivastava’s analysis is on to something or not, it would be best to stay on high alert

Even as India watches out in trepidation for telltale signs of a third wave of covid infections, a physicist from Hyderabad reckons it has already begun. Vipin Srivastava, a former pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, has formulated a metric for the pandemic’s progression and found that its underlying pattern on this measure since 4 July, the day he says another wave began, mirrors what was seen when the second wave struck us in the first week of February.

Given covid’s unpredictable trajectory, we may or may not be headed for another peak in cases. But the country must overcome complacency. Recent images of revellers at holiday destinations have left health experts aghast. One had hoped, perhaps a trifle too optimistically, that the horrors of our second wave would have served as an adequate warning against careless behaviour. While the country’s pace of vaccination has improved somewhat, the programme still hasn’t covered enough people to serve as a bulwark against a third wave. In short, we remain vulnerable to a covid resurgence. Whether Srivastava’s analysis is on to something or not, it would be best to stay on high alert.