Amid Omicron scare, India might witness third wave of coronavirus by February, suggests IIT Kanpur scientist

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 7, 2021, 9:08 AM IST

According to the expert, South Africa, where the virus was initially discovered, has yet to register a single case of hospitalisation.

With the Omicron strain of COVID-19 rapidly spreading across the country, an IIT-Kanpur scientist predicted that India would see a third wave of coronavirus, with 1-1.5 lakh cases reported every day. However, Manindra Agarwal, who was engaged in the mathematical projection of COVID-19's trajectory, stated that the strength of the third wave of coronavirus is expected to be lower than the lethal second wave. When the lethal second wave was at its peak in May, India recorded more than 4 million COVID-19 cases in a single day.

Agarwal stated that the country might witness the third wave by February with the new version, although it would be milder than the second wave. He stated that the severity of Omicron is not the same as that of the Delta version. According to the expert, South Africa, where the virus was initially discovered, has yet to register a single case of hospitalisation. Despite the new variety's high transmissibility, he claimed that its severity does not appear to be as severe as the Delta variant. He also proposed that a light lockdown, such as a night curfew and crowding limitations, might significantly lower beta, as shown during the spread of Delta.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

So far, 23 instances of the Omicron type of coronavirus have been documented in India, including ten in Maharashtra, nine in Rajasthan, two in Karnataka, and one each in Delhi and Gujarat. The WHO identified the COVID-19 virus strain discovered in South Africa and other countries as Omicron last month. The Omicron variation has also been designated as a 'Variant of Concern' by the WHO.

Also Read | Omicron in India: Survey reveals Indians refuse to wear masks

Meanwhile, despite concerns about identifying Omicron variations throughout the country, mask compliance remained low in India, with just 2% of those asked stating that people in their town, city, or district are adhering to mask-wearing rules properly. According to a recent study conducted by the digital community platform LocalCircles, one out of every three Indians feels that most people in their neighbourhood do not even wear masks when leaving their houses.

For more reliable and latest news