Cases of Covid-19 are increasing in Delhi and its surrounding cities. Many scientists say that in such a situation, attention should be paid to how many people are being admitted to the hospital. This is not a sign of the fourth wave in the country. He said that due to the removal of Covid-19 restrictions, reopening of schools and increase in economic activity, the national capital and its surrounding areas are working to increase the corona cases.
Social activities increased, restrictions removed
It’s been more than two weeks since the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. It is holiday time and people are mingling with each other. Social and economic activity is happening more than before the pandemic. Physician-epidemiologist Chandrakant Laharia has advised caution and insists on constant monitoring. He said that only counting the cases does not make any sense. Although cases are increasing in Delhi, there has not been a significant increase in the number of people admitted to the hospital.
Given the epidemiological and scientific evidence, the current increase in cases in Delhi is not the beginning of a fourth wave. He said that SARS CoV-2 is going to be with us for a long time and hence it is not known when new cases will be zero. Delhi’s COVID-19 infection rate rose to 7.72 per cent on Monday with 501 fresh cases, according to health department data. The last time the infection rate in the city was 7.4 per cent on January 29 and 8.6 per cent on January 28.
The infection rate has started increasing in the country
This is in sharp contrast to India’s overall infection rate of 0.31 per cent recorded by the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday and 1,247 coronavirus cases. Scientists do not have the exact answer, US-based infectious disease expert Amita Gupta said, adding that the increase in cases in Delhi and some other states could be a result of the mild restrictions, the spread of the pandemic and the high transmission potential of the virus.
Modeler Manindra Agarwal, who has been monitoring India’s COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, agrees. Agarwal, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, told PTI that increased social interaction, easing of restrictions and removal of mask requirements are possible reasons for the rise in Covid cases. Aggarwal said, there is no sign of even a fourth wave at the moment. This will happen only when there is a new mutation.
Decrease in the number of COVID tests
Epidemiologist Ramanan Laxminarayan said that while testing rates have come down, it cannot be told whether the new cases emerging are a true indication of the situation. Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy in Washington and New Delhi, said that the number of corona tests has come down. The focus has to be on the numbers.