The likelihood of a third wave of COVID-19 seems distant, given the current circumstances, with only the Delta variant and its derivatives being the main coronavirus variants currently in circulation. Moreover, the weekly case count has been declining steadily, suggest experts.

Dr T Jacob John, retired professor and head of the departments of clinical virology and microbiology at Christian Medical College (Vellore), said that people should forget about the third wave for now. If it does emerge, it would likely be in the middle or the last quarter of next year. He further stated that COVID has transitioned into the endemic phase in India. In August, WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan had also said that India was moving into some stage of endemicity.

Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of Maharashtra’s COVID task force, stated that no one can predict when the third wave will occur, adding that it cannot be ruled out if a new variant of concern emerges. An epidemiologist with the Public Health Foundation of India, Dr Giridhar Babu, stated that a wave only emerges if there is a large number of susceptible individuals, adding that it takes time for such an accumulation at the state or national level… (ET Healthworld – TNN, October 20, 2021)