It seems like the second wave of COVID-19 has come under control amid a though battle, as the country is seeing a decline in the daily count of cases across the states. However, this is not the end.
AIIMS Director, Dr. Randeep Guleria, speaking to the media, said that coronavirus is not going away anywhere and it is human behaviour that will play an important role in breaking the spread of infection leading to another coronavirus wave.
Nationwide Lockdown Was The Reason Behind COVID Count Fall
Guleria was briefing the media on the current COVID-19 situation, along with the Union Health Ministry officials, and said that the number of cases has decreased because of strict lockdowns all across the country, but they also noted that while the restrictions and lockdown have helped in decreasing the infections, it does not mean that Covid-19 has gone away.
“But, once the restrictions are lifted, people think Covid has ended now and their behaviour towards Covid-19 will change all of sudden. People stop wearing masks and maintain social distancing or other Covid appropriate behaviour, which pave the way for a subsequent wave. Hence, people’s behaviour is crucial to fight against Covid pandemic, otherwise, it will invite another wave,” he added.
Why One COVID Wave Is Followed By Another?
“Coronavirus is a respiratory virus like influenza and it is well-known fact that when there is a pandemic, the respiratory virus comes in multiple waves until its transmission chain is completely broken. We have seen that during Spanish flu during 1918 and H1N1 in 2009 (Swine flu pandemic), multiple waves were seen,” he said Covid-19 is a respiratory virus and comes in multiple waves, explaining why one Covid wave is followed by a subsequent wave.
Will The Third Wave Of COVID-19 Affect Children More?
On whether the third possible Covid wave would be more serious for children, Guleria said: “As of now, there is no such evidence which can prove that the next wave will be more serious for children. If we see the second wave’s data, it emerged that up to 60-70 children were admitted in hospitals, their immunity was very low or they were suffering from some other infections also.
“But, those children were healthy, they have recovered fast and even in-home isolation. So as of now, we cannot say that the third wave would be more serious for children.”
