PATNA: With things becoming normal after the deadly second wave of Covid-19 in the state, a common question being asked is whether the third wave can be avoided altogether.
Most of the health experts agree that the impact of the third wave can be minimised if the people as well as the government become vigilant and responsive. Taking lessons from the second wave, sincere efforts should be made by one and all to prevent the onset of any new wave in the state, which has already suffered a lot, they feel.
Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology (IGIC)’s joint director Dr A K Ashu said fortunately the Delta variants are yet to affect the state’s people. So, the chances of the third wave hitting the state are bleak provided the Covid protocols are followed properly and people are vaccinated. He said the greater the transmission of the virus, the more the chances of developing new, deadlier variants. The government should focus more on those pockets where people are still getting infected with the virus, he said.
Aryabhatta Knowledge University’s dean of medicine and former PMCH superintendent Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said the third wave could be prevented by compelling the people to adopt Covid-appropriate behaviour. Anybody found flouting the norms should be heavily penalised. The present speed of vaccination should also be accelerated considerably. For this, the government would have to make sufficient doses of vaccines available at all the places. If need be, door-to-door vaccination programmes should be launched in both urban and rural areas to get the maximum number of people inoculated in the shortest possible time. Besides, voluntary social organisations should come forward to remove certain misconceptions about vaccinations among rural folks, he added.
Principal of Government Ayurvedic College Patna, Dr Dineshwar Prasad, said the third wave can be avoided if the people are made to follow the Covid protocols essentially. Besides, people should increase their physical activities by doing yoga or playing indoor games to develop their immunity. They should adopt a healthy lifestyle by focusing on their diets and taking some indigenous immunity boosters, he added.
Paediatrician Dr Arun Shah said if the people observe Covid-appropriate behaviour and get themselves inoculated, the chances of the third wave hitting the state would certainly diminish. According to a serological survey conducted in different metropolitan cities in the country, it has been found that sero-positivity has already developed in at least 50% of children. If the adults adopt Covid-appropriate behaviour and get inoculated, there is very little chance of the third wave.
