Delta Plus variant may trigger third COVID-19 wave in Maharashtra
The highly virulent "Delta Plus" variant of the coronavirus could stoke the third wave in Maharashtra, according to a presentation made at a meeting in Mumbai attended by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday. The presentation made by the state health department said that the number of active patients could reach up to eight lakh, while 10 percent out of them could be children.
Presentation portrayed possible scenarios if a fresh wave hits
The meeting was held to take stock of preparations to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19 even as Maharashtra emerges out of a devastating second wave of the infection. Besides Thackeray, Health Minister Rajesh Tope and members of the state task force on COVID-19 attended the meeting. The presentation portrayed possible scenarios in case a fresh wave of infection hits Maharashtra.
Maharashtra has registered over 40 lakh infections in second wave
The health department said there were 19 lakh cases in the first wave (post-March 2020 outbreak), while in the second wave (which started around mid-February 2021) so far, more than 40 lakh infections had been registered in Maharashtra. Thackeray asked officials to be prepared to deal with any situation in terms of the availability of medicines, beds, and other necessary resources.
'Follow protocols, else third wave could hit before second ebbs'
"If we do not follow COVID-19-appropriate behavior, we would be hit by the third wave before we can fully recover from the second one," Thackeray was quoted as saying in the release at the meeting. "We have learned lessons from the first and second waves. We have been told that Maharashtra would get around 42 crore vaccine vials from August-September," the CM further said.
Delta Plus doesn't pose any immediate threat in India: Scientists
The task force pointed out that in some EU countries, lockdown-like measures were re-introduced following a surge in cases. Earlier this week, scientists in New Delhi said the highly transmissible Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has mutated further to form the Delta Plus or AY.1 variant, but there is no immediate cause for concern in India as its incidence in the country is still low.
