India's second wave not over, daily Covid cases still above 40,000: AIIMS chief

NEW DELHI: As daily Covid infections in India continue to hover close to the 40,000-mark, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria on Friday said that second wave of the pandemic in India is still not over.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Guleria said the likelihood of a third wave in India depends on how well people follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.
"I would suggest that people should understand that the second wave of the pandemic is not over yet. Daily, we are getting more than 40,000 cases. It is important for everyone to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. If we follow this, then another wave will not come," Dr Guleria said.

India suffered widespread devastation during the second wave of the pandemic, which began around the end of March and peaked in early May.
The cases came down in the subsequent weeks and have been hovering near the 40,000-mark for the last one month, prompting the Centre to declare that the second wave of the pandemic is still not over.
Talking about the possible third wave of the virus, Dr Guleria said the impact of another surge will be less severe than what India witnessed in April and May if people adhere to the rules.
"If the third wave comes, then also it will be mild only if people follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour," he said.
Earlier, professors at IIT Kanpur and Hyderabad had predicted another outbreak of Covid-19 around mid-August, saying it may peak up in October depending on the type of the virus' variant.
They said if the variant is more infectious, like the Delta strain which caused the second wave, then cases are likely to increase.
In an interview with ANI, Gagandeep Kang, a top Indian microbiologist and virologist, had also said that the third wave depends on the type of virus' variants or strains.
"I think a lot depends on whether the wave is driven by variants, or driven by strains, if it's driven by variants, then it becomes very difficult to predict what numbers are likely to be," Dr Kang said.
(With inputs from ANI)