New Delhi: Rising coronavirus Delta variant cases and further mutations of the virus have strengthened the probability of a third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India, a foreign firm has cautioned.
According to chief economist of UBS Securities India Tanvee Gupta Jain, the risk of a third wave is more real now as economic activity has improved for the seventh successive week as several states are gradually easing curbs on movement, reported PTI.
Also Read: Odisha Govt Ready To Protect Children In Third Wave Of COVID: Minister
The UBS report pointed out two significant factors which don’t augur well for India — pace of vaccination has slowed down to around 3.4 million doses per day from 4 million jabs and 45 per cent of current daily COVID-19 case count are from rural regions.
Gupta Jain noted in the report that although daily COVID-19 cases seem to have plateaued, it’s still remains much above the 2021 trough and the drop in active caseload has started to narrow down.
Also Read: Don’t Talk About Third Wave Like A Weather Update, Says Health Ministry
Another worrying indicator is that in more than 20 per cent of the districts which are reporting most number of daily cases, the second wave of COVID-19 has not yet slowed down and the third wave has already set in. A month ago, that figure was only 5 per cent, the report observed.
World Health Organization (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said on Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic is now in the “early stages” of the third wave.
