The Third Wave Is Near?

-Chinmoyee Deka |

Last week the Director of AIIMS, Dr. Randeep Guleria, made it clear that the third wave is inevitable, and it could hit the country in the next six to eight weeks. However, with unlocking beginning in many places, including Delhi, COVID-appropriate behavior has once again taken a back seat. So, it will most like hit earlier than predicted.

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Queues of people outside malls in Delhi and swarms of crowds thronging the markets show that Indians have not yet learned from the aftermath of the first and second waves. “We don’t seem to have learned from what happened between the first and the second wave. Again crowds are building up, people are gathering. It will take some time for the number of cases to start rising at the national level,” said the Director in an interview with NDTV.

He also pointed out how due to rapid mutations, the virus is now more infectious than ever. The currently spreading Delta and Delta Plus variants are much more infectious than the strains that spread during the first wave. Unlocking coupled with faster mutation of the virus is shortening the gaps between the waves, which is a great cause of concern.

On the other hand, many countries worldwide have completed their vaccination drives, but with India’s huge population total vaccination will not be easy. So, with almost 90 percent of people still not vaccinated, the spread will be faster and more devastating. Hence, COVID-appropriate behavior is the only way to save the countrymen. But as most people in Delhi were recently seen wearing their masks on their chins and gathering in groups to shop, the third wave seems to be knocking at the door already. Such is the scenario in phase-wise unlocking so, imagining the situation in the complete unlock stage is scary.

India’s situation is not hidden from the international media either. Stressing on the importance of vaccination, the President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, “So all you Filipinos listening, watch out. Don’t force my hand into it… I have a strong arm for that. Nobody likes it. But if you won’t get vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India if you want or somewhere — to America. But as long as you are here and you are a human being that can carry the virus, get yourself vaccinated.”

On Monday, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced after a meeting with the Delhi Disaster Management Authority that all restaurants and metro services must operate with 50 percent capacity, and shops in malls and shopping complexes will follow the odd-even method. Movie theatres and parks are still closed. Following this announcement, videos and images of crowds at metro stations and markets thronged the social media platforms. Most people were without any masks or wearing them incorrectly. Such behavior is shameful because the capital was struggling to bear the burden of amplifying cases a few weeks earlier. It is the same Delhi where people were fighting for oxygen and hospital beds. With unlocking, authorities must have prepared themselves better to enforce Covid-appropriate behavior on people.

Metro stations recorded 13.30 lakh ticket sales on Monday as opposed to 10.13 lakh on Friday, and 6.38 lakh on June 7 when the service was resumed.

“Delhi’s top mall saw a footfall of 19,000 people…as soon as it reopened. Have we gone totally mad? Wait for Covid-19 to explode again and blame the government, hospitals, and country,” Dr. Ambrish Mithal of Max Healthcare tweeted on Tuesday.

Another tweet by a leading liver transplant specialist Arvinder Singh Soin on Monday said, “Delhi ought to have unlocked far more scientifically. We are inviting trouble!”

Unlocking is taking place in most parts of the country now, but the situation is not the same everywhere. In the north-eastern state of Assam, phase-wise unlocking began by loosening a few restrictions in districts where the cases declined significantly. The curfew will remain in regions districts that are still experiencing an increase in COVID cases.

The most awaited Ambubachi Mela in Kamakha Temple, Guwahati was called off on 22nd June, which is a welcoming step during a time when religious events are becoming one of the major reasons for gatherings. As opposed to streets bustling with devotees visiting to pay respects to the deity during this event, the temple grounds lay empty yesterday.

More such precautions and authoritative steps must be taken by the country to ensure that the third wave is significantly delayed if not avoided. Unlocking is a necessity, but people must realize that only if they follow COVID protocols can they be assured complete safety. Or else the cycle of lockdowns and unlocking will continue with no positive impact at all.

As more people abide by the rules, the spread will slow down, and this will buy a considerable amount of time for everyone to get vaccinated. If a third wave hits now and crumbles the health system again, the vaccination drives will get impacted. Hence, if people wish to live normally again, they must take all the precautions for a few more months and get vaccinated as soon as possible.