Experts Say Third Wave Of COVID-19 Could Hit India By October: Report

According to experts in the medical field, the third wave of COVID-19 is likely to hit the country in the month of October. Though this wave will be better controlled according to experts.

Reuters conducted a snap survey of 40 healthcare specialists, doctors, scientists, virologists, epidemiologists and professors from around the world. According to the poll of medical experts between June 3 to 14, the current vaccination will provide some cover to the next outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

21 out of the 24 experts were of the view that the next wave would hit in the month of October. These 21 experts also included the three professionals who suggested the next wave as early as August.

In the survey of these medical experts, 24 out of the 34 suggested that the condition during the third wave would be better controlled. This assumption is made taking into consideration the vaccination status in the country. The second wave had been more devasting than the first outbreak in terms of shortage of medical facilities like vaccines, medicines, oxygen and hospital beds.

Dr Randeep Guleria, director at All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said that the third wave will be more controlled, as cases will be much less because more vaccinations would have been rolled out. He also added that there would be some degree of natural immunity from the second wave of the COVID-19.

Dr Devi Shetty who is an advisor to the Karnataka State government said that "If children get infected in large numbers and we are not prepared, there is nothing you can do at the last minute."

Robert Gallo who is the director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland said, "COVID-19 is a solvable problem, as obviously it was easy to get a solvable vaccine." He further added that in two years, the country will develop herd immunity through vaccine and exposure to the disease of COVID-19. Gallo is also an international scientific advisor in the Global Virus Network.