Everyone is predicting a third wave: Dr M V Padma Srivastava of AIIMS

Amid the fear of a possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic as the country gradually eases restrictions, Dr M V Padma Srivastava, head of department of neurology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said that everyone is predicting a third wave.

"Everybody is saying not to let your guard down. Otherwise we will hit the third wave. We have the history of hundred years ago that even the Spanish flu pandemic did have a third wave, so history is repeating itself. This is being said because of the number of variants and inappropriate behaviour among other things," she said.

With the government relaxing COVID-19 norms, people have become less lenient towards the standard operating procedures (SoPs).

"We are going through the second wave. We are opening up the doors for a third wave. That is the reason why people have been red-flagging that our attitude should be appropriate."

"It is not just a responsibility of the government or the healthcare system. It is a responsibility of myself and of every citizen of the society," she added.

On the possibility of a third wave she said, "Yes, the third wave is being predicted by everybody and actually the prediction is also that we can take care that it should not happen. It need not happen if we contribute responsibly."

According to reports, the highly transmissible variant first identified in India is now making 99 per cent of fresh COVID-19 cases in the UK.

( With inputs from ANI )

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