Bhubaneswar: A senior Health official of Odisha on Tuesday predicted a fresh wave of Covid 19 pandemic in the country during the second week of March.
Odisha Health Department Special Secretary Ajit Kumar Mohanty said there could be a fourth Covid wave in India in the second or third week in March as per a model.
However, the fresh wave is unlikely to affect the Indians due to effective vaccination status.
Covid cases are likely to increase in China which is yet to reach peak. However, it might happen between January 13 and 15, he said.
On an average, around 7 to 10 lakh people are likely to get infected with 25,000, Mohanty predicted.
The senior health official, who is also a health expert, pointed out that a majority of population in India have achieved herd immunity due to sub-clinical infections. But, in China, people have not gained her immunity. Moreover, the vaccination in China was not effective like India, which is mostly responsible for an alarming situation, Mohanty maintained.
Now, it is observed that people mostly elderly one are prone to infection in China and Japan. In India, the government has been giving priorities to vulnerable group, he added.
Mohanty advised people to avoid crowd and use mask in mass gathering.
He said the BF.7 and XXB variants of Covid 19 are spreading their tentacles in several parts of world. BF.7 is a subliange of Omicron variant which may not severely affect the Indian mass, Mohanty said.
