Another wave unlikely in nation, say scientists

India is unlikely to see a COVID wave like the devastating second one unless there is a new immune escaping variant but the lower number of cases does not necessarily mean the pandemic is now endemic, several experts said on Friday.

Giving hope and also injecting a note of caution as the festive season peaks with Deepavali just days ahead, they said a dipping COVID graph is only part of the picture and pointed to factors such as the mortality rate, the need for a larger vaccination cover and examples of countries such as the UK where numbers are again rising.

A day after India reached the milestone of 100 crore doses, virologist Shahid Jameel said vaccination rates have improved significantly but more needs to be done. “I am not sure we are in the endemic state yet… As we celebrate this (100 crores) landmark, there is still some distance to go. We are going towards endemicity, but are not there yet,” Jameel, a visiting professor at Ashoka University in Haryana, said. Jameel, one of India’s best-known virologists, also pointed out that the mortality rate in the country remains steady at about 1.2 per cent.

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