People, flouting social distancing norms, visit a crowded market as authorities eased Covid-induced lockdown relaxation in Bengaluru.
Union Health Ministry on Friday said that the next 100-125 days are going to be very crucial in terms of how the Covid situation further unfolds in the country amid concerns over its third wave. The Ministry said though the second wave of Covid has subsided still there are as many as 73 districts that continue to remain a cause of concern as more than 100 cases are being registered daily.
Addressing a presser, Health Ministry said that the rate of reduction of corona cases in the country has slowed down in recent days and this needs to be taken as a warning of a possible third wave.
"Situation in most of the regions has turned from bad to worse. Overall, the world is moving towards a third wave. (WHO's) Warning over a third wave can't be taken for granted, it is a red flag...," said Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog.
ALSO READ | AstraZeneca Covid vaccine protection may last a lifetime: Study
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that rising COVID-19 cases in some states remain a matter of concern as he asked them to take proactive measures to rule out a third wave by moving forward with the strategy of test, track, treat and 'tika (vaccine)'.
In a video interaction with chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra and Kerala, where many districts have been reporting a high number of cases, Modi said the country stands at a point in its battle with the pandemic where apprehensions about a third wave are being continuously expressed.
These states have accounted for 80 per cent of new COVID-19 cases last week and 84 per cent of deaths, he noted in his closing remarks, specifically mentioning the rise in infections in Kerala and Maharashtra as a matter of grave concern for the country.
However, experts said that there is no scientific evidence to prove that the impending third wave of coronavirus disease will have a detrimental effect on children and asked people to stay away from such misinformation, which has been on the rise since the outbreak of pandemic.
It has been widely claimed that children will be infected the most during the third Covid-19 wave. While some kids were affected during the second wave, almost 90 per cent of the infections, so far, have been mild or asymptomatic.
ALSO READ | 'Test-Track-Treat-Tika': PM Modi's mantra to states with high caseload to flatten Covid curve
