COVID-19 third wave could hit in 6-8 weeks if rules not followed: AIIMS chief Randeep Guleria

File photo

New Delhi: The third wave of COVID 19 can strike India in the next six to eight weeks if crowds are not prevented and if rules are broken, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria warned on Saturday.

"If Covid-appropriate behaviour is not followed, the third wave can happen in six to eight weeks. We need to work aggressively to prevent another large wave till vaccination kicks in," Guleria told PTI.

He insisted that COVID-appropriate behaviour needs to be followed aggressively until a sizeable number of the population are vaccinated.  

Gulleria also stressed on the need for stricter surveillance and area-specific lockdowns in case of a significant rise in COVID-19 cases.

Earlier, India's epidemiologists had indicated that a third wave of COVID-19 is inevitable and is likely to start from September-October.

Guleria reiterated that till now, there is no evidence to suggest that children will be affected more in the next wave of the infection.

India suffered massively under the brutal second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in April and May, however, the number of cases have shown a downward trend.

With 60,753 new cases reported in 24 hours, India's total tally rose to 2,98,23,546, while the number of active cases stand at 7,60,019, the lowest in 74 days.

The death toll climbed to 3,85,137 with 1,647 fresh fatalities and active cases comprise 2.55 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 96.16 per cent, according to Union health ministry on Saturday.