Has the third wave of COVID already arrived?
Following Christmas and New Year's celebrations, India on Tuesday registered a single-day rise of 56 per cent in total COVID-19 infection cases in the country. The daily tally crossed the 58,000 mark, the highest during a period of surge since the beginning of the pandemic. After months of respite, the numbers have started to sore due to the emergence of a new COVID variant and the lifting of restrictions. In a week, there has been a sixfold rise in the rate of infection across the country. Considering the current situation we cannot help but wonder if the third wave of coronavirus has finally arrived.
Spike in the cases across the country
There has been a consistent rise in the COVID-19 cases in the past eight days. But the numbers grew by nine times from January 1. The rise in the cases was due to higher testing on the previous day following a drop on Sunday. As per data, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with more than 18, 466 new confirmed cases, followed by West Bengal with 9,073 and New Delhi with 5,481 cases. Kerala and Tamil Nadu also make it to fourth and fifth place with 3,640 and 2,731 new confirmed cases respectively. Not only this, there has been a slight rise in death rates from the virus in the past week. Total 112 deaths were reported on Tuesday. The cases of infection have also doubled in Punjab, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand and Telangana. India registered close to 60,000 cases on March 25, 2021, which was the beginning of the second wave of coronavirus. The highest confirmed new cases during the second wave was registered on May 6 2021
The threat of the third wave
In the wake of the situation, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday clearly said that the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic has hit the national capital. Addressing the press, he asserted that the national capital region is expected to record 10,000 new cases today. The condition is similar in Mumbai and other tier 1 and tier 2 cities. Mumbai has already crossed the mark of 10,860 infections with 89 per cent asymptomatic cases, which is believed to rise further. Addressing the matter, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that India's financial capital is ready to face even a "tsunami" of cases.
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Why the cases are surging now
There are mainly two reasons why COVID cases have again started to surge- ease of restrictions and omicron variant.
The ease in COVID restrictions has increased the movement of the people, leading to a rise in COVID cases. Besides, the new COVID mutant variant that emerged in South Africa can also be behind the current surge in big cities. The new variant is believed to cause milder infection, but due to a high transmissibility rate, it can spread and multiply rapidly. Experts also believe that omicron is potent enough to replace the Delta variant and soon become a dominant COVID strain.
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The double threat
Due to a drop in temperature, there is also a double threat of respiratory infection in the form of influenza. We always see a spike in flu case in winter and there is a risk of double infection (COVID and flu), which would make the matter even more complex. Apart from flu, due to widespread Delta variant in the country, which led to the second COVID wave, there is also a risk of Delmicron infection (Delta + Omicron). The combination of the two mutant variants is believed to be the reason behind the havoc in the European country. In the light of all these factors in the coming week, it is expected to see a jump in positive cases and death rate. The possible solution is to follow COVID norms to stay protected.