3rd Covid wave likely in August: ICMR scientist

New Delhi, July 18

Top Indian Council of Medical Research scientist Samiran Panda on Sunday said the third Covid wave could hit the country in August but its scale would depend on the quality of Covid appropriate behaviour shown by the people and the social and public health measures adopted by state governments.

Panda, who heads ICMR's epidemiology and infectious diseases unit, said the council's modelling studies on the issue conducted in collaboration with Imperial College, London, had shown that a third wave could hit India anywhere between August to October. The expert said the peak of the third wave could stretch into 2022 and though it might not be as severe as the second wave, the ferocity would depend on multiple factors, including loss of immunity the population acquired so far due to natural infection or vaccination and presence of mutants and their ability to escape vaccine among other factors. — TNS