By Ratna Chotrani
Hyderabad: CCMB Director Rakesh Mishra said that while the third wave of Corona pandemic is inevitable proper behavior including vaccinations, social behavior, India can overcome the same. However, the country has to be prepared.
Speaking to Siasat Dr. Rakesh Mishra Director CCMB said that the third wave is inevitable but if India has learned lessons from the current wave and if people behave properly in terms of masking, social behavior, sanitizations and staying indoors, if having no work outside, then India can overcome the same.
“Unfortunately our problem is we have done everything which we should not do. India had done elections, stopped masking, opened up its cinema theatres, restaurants schools, wedding, crowding and what not”.
If people do not take proper care then they will face the same crowds in hospitals just as in Maharashtra Delhi, Bengaluru. Covid appropriate behavior is important as any variant can create problems.
Vaccines have been found to be effective with any variants. Any variant can create difficulty if proper behavior is not maintained but with proper behavior and proper care, we can overcome this pandemic, he said. He however cautioned people to be prepared and organize themselves.
Refuting reports that a new Covid 19 strain, N440k, found in Vishakapatnam Andhra Pradesh is more virulent than other variants of Covid 19, Dr. Rakesh Mishra said that the N440K mutant is not new and is one year old. It was noted in the first wave itself and gradually it became more virulent or prominent in Southern states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and others. He said that a few months back it was more prevalent at 30 to 40 percent depending on the States where the pandemic was. However, it is now less than 5 percent and likely to disappear soon.
For the past two to three months it is being replaced by double mutant as seen in Maharashtra. The prevalence of the N440K variant is less than five percent and likely to disappear soon.
He said that there are other variants as well now and the N440 K is being replaced by the double mutant which is in Maharashtra. About the threats from new variants, he said that the worry is the same as in Maharashtra. If people in the State do not follow Covid behavior then they will see the same crowding in hospitals just as in Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, etc.
He denied that the N440K variant was more deadly than what we saw before. The 440 K has been around earlier for quite some time. He reiterated that the third wave was inevitable but COVID proper behavior and lessons learned from the second wave can help us overcome the same.