As the fear surrounding the spread of the Omicron variant in India has intensified, authorities and state governments remain on their toes to detect any possible case from outside the borders, which can pose a legitimate threat to the country.
Despite the strict vigilance, a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic can hit India soon due to the Omicron variant, but it is less likely to be fatal, said Dr Vikas Bhatia, Executive Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar on Saturday.
Dr Bhatia said that in the current scenario, more information is required to ascertain the exact threat of the virus but it so far seems non-fatal, as per ANI reports. The doctor also warned that India should be ready to fight a third wave of the pandemic, given the transmissibility rate of the Omicron variant.
As quoted by ANI, Dr Bhatia said, “It is very difficult to predict because, and even at this point of time when more than 30 countries have reported one or more cases, we are still waiting for some more information. So, in this phase, we should be preparing ourselves that a third wave may come but at the same time, it may be good news in case we find that this particular virus Omicron is not very fatal. So far, no death has been reported from any part of the world.”
“It might be a mild disease. It is possibly being observed in some countries such as South Africa that the gap between the infection and the manifestation of the disease is a little longer. And when it is longer than the Delta virus, it is likely to be transmitting and infecting more and more people. Now in case, the transmission rate is high, but its killing power is low, then it can transmit and generate immunity among the people,” the health expert further added.
Dr Bhatia further said that the main concern amid third wave threats remains the decline in the oxygen levels of the patients and the case fatality rate. He also added that the vaccination programme can also reduce the chances of a third wave hitting India soon.
Dr Bhatia told ANI, “The different surveys which have been done, they have given information that more than 70- 80 percent of the population has already been exposed to the COVID infection, which means they have the antibodies in them. Simultaneously, we know that nearly 126 crore people until yesterday have also been vaccinated either with one dose or with two doses.”
This means that the hybrid immunity in India is very high and scientific evidence that has come forward is that people with hybrid immunity have better protection, the doctor said.
(With ANI inputs)
Source: dnaindia.com