A third wave of the pandemic could be prevented if strong measures are taken, said principal scientific advisor to the government K. Vijay Raghavan.
His statement comes two days after he said a third wave was inevitable and it is necessary to be prepared for new waves.
On Friday however, he said if strong measures are taken, the third wave "may not happen in all the places or indeed anywhere at all." According to news agency ANI, he said, "It depends much on how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level, in the states, in districts and in the cities everywhere."
He pointed out that COVID-19 has different peaks and falls across the country. "Infections take place when a susceptible population is present," Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.
"It may be useful to talk about the location, timing and intensity of infections instead of waves and their number, although the latter is in common usage," he said.
Stressing on the importance of testing, treating and containment, he said if this protocol is followed properly, the transmission of virus can be prevented. The spread of the virus can be stopped if a large number of people are vaccinated and people follow social distancing and other pandemic-related guidelines, he added.
On Wednesday, he had said, "Phase three is inevitable given the higher levels of circulating virus, but it is not clear on what time-scale this phase three will occur. We should be prepared for new waves."
He had also said it was not expected that the second wave would hit the country with such ferocity.
With a record 4,14,188 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 2,14,91,598, on Friday. The death toll has increased to 2,34,083 with 3,915 fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the Union health ministry data updated at 8 am showed.
— With PTI inputs
