On Wednesday, the official sources stated that the next 40 days are crucial, as India may see an increase in COVID-19 cases in January. Citing the pattern of previous outbreaks, the officials pointed out that a new wave of COVID-19 hits India around 30 to 35 days after it hits East Asia.

Meanwhile, health ministry sources assured that the severity of the infection is low. However, they revealed that the transmissibility of this BF.7 sub-variant is very high. A person infected with the sub-variant can infect up to 16 other people.

They added that even if there is a fourth wave across the country, the rate of deaths and hospitalizations will be very low. On the surveillance front, the government has made random coronavirus testing mandatory for 2% of passengers arriving at each international flight starting Saturday.

The sources from the ministry also added that filling up "air suvidha" forms 72 hours before RT-PCR testing will be made mandatory from next week for international passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore.