New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in the country.
PM Modi, as per reports, also reviewed the Covid-19 vaccination drive in the country during the meeting.
The meeting comes a day after Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said second coronavirus wave in India is not over yet.
The health secretary had said 35 districts are still reporting a weekly Covid positivity rate of over 10 per cent while it is between five to 10 per cent in 30 districts.
On vaccination front, the Union government on Thursday said more than half of India’s adult population has received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine while 18 per cent have got both the shots. The total number of jabs administered in the country crossed 72 crore.
Last month, a panel set up by the central government, in its latest report, has warned that a third Covid-19 wave could peak around October. It said the public healthcare system should have better medical preparedness for children who might be at similar risk as adults.
The report of a committee of experts constituted under the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), which was set up by the Union home ministry, said, “Paediatric [control] facilities including doctors, staff, equipment like ventilators, ambulances etc are nowhere close to what may be required in case a large number of children become infected.”
According to the report, there is no direct evidence that proves children in India will be more affected in the anticipated third wave. The report, however, suggests that children remain a cause of concern since they are still not vaccinated.
Experts have warned of a third Covid wave if situation does not remain under control during the festive season.
A single-day fall in cases could easily be overturned, especially if we lower our guard. Like on March 8, when Covid cases dropped to 15,000 in a day from around 18,000, only to shoot up to 40,000 a day a week later, marking the onset of the second wave.
Professor Gagandeep Kang told media that if the situation does not change much, the third wave of Covid-19 infections will be a “hill, if the second wave was a steep mountain”
She also said that one cannot predict the third wave of Covid-19 infections. No one can predict if the virus will mutate further and become more dangerous, Professor Kang said.
Meanwhile, seasonal flu gripped parts of North India, triggering confusion over a possible third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.