Fourth wave of Covid-19 a concern? Steps you can take to save yourself from getting infected

"The fourth wave starts from June 22, 2022, reaching its peak on August 23, 2022 and ends on October 24, 2022," the IIT-K researchers said.

Representational Image (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: A research conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) researchers found out that India is likely to witness the fourth covid-19 wave in mid to late June and will last for about 4 months. 

However, the severity of the wave will depend on the emergence of new variants, vaccination status, and administration of booster doses. The research, which has been published as a pre-print in MedRxiv, predicted that the fourth wave may set in around June 22 in the country. 

This IIT-K research was led by Sabara Parshad Rajeshbhai, Subhra Sankar Dhar and Shalabh of IIT Kanpur's Mathametic department using a mixture of Gaussian distribution based on the data on Zimbabwe. 

As per the researchers, the data indicates that the fourth wave of Covid-19 in India will arrive after 936 days from the initial data availability date, which is January 30, 2020. 

“Therefore, the fourth wave starts from June 22, 2022, reaching its peak on August 23, 2022 and ends on October 24, 2022," they said. 

“Moreover, the 99% confidence interval for the date, when the curve will reach the peak, is approximately from August 15, 2022 to August 31, 2022," the researchers added.

“The intensity of the impact will depend on various factors like infectibility, fatality etc,” the authors said. 

Here are the cteps you can take to save yourself from getting infected: 

- Clean your hands before you put your mask on, as well as before and after you take it off, and after you touch it at any time.

- Make sure your mask covers both your nose, mouth and chin. 

- Practice frequent hand washing. Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol based hand rub. Wash hands even if they are visibly clean. 

- Maintain at least 1 metre distance in market places, medical stores, hospitals, etc.

- Have patience and keep calm while shopping for essential goods/medical supplies.

- Avoid frequent trips to the market to buy groceries/medical supplies.

- Avoid shaking hands and hugging as a matter of greeting.

- Avoid non-essential social gatherings at home.

- Don’t allow visitors at home or visit someone else’s home.