If we welcome the third Covid-19 wave, it will arrive: Renu Swarup, Ph.D

Concerns about the third wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) are mounting after the crippling effects of the second wave of the virus on India. Dr. Renu Swarup, the secretary of the government’s department of biotechnology, stated on Monday that the third wave will arrive “if invited” by either human or virus behaviour.

The behaviour of the virus, Swaroop said, is known and it is typical of mutation and that “we don’t have control over that.”

“Human behaviour is in our control, which involves adopting Covid-appropriate behaviour vis-à-vis maintaining hygiene, wearing a face mask, following social distancing,” she Said.

As the Delta strain remains a matter of concern across the globe with more than 100 nations bearing the brunt of it, and even in India where several states have extended the Covid-19-induced restrictions over the fear of a third wave, Swaroop says that following norms will help in breaking the chain of transmission.

“If we continue to follow Covid-19 protocol and break the chain of transmission, we will not allow the virus to go from one host to the other,” she said.

Several reports have surfaced over the past few months regarding the onset of the third wave of Covid-19. The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), under the ministry of home affairs, has cautioned in its report to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that the wave will reach its peak in October. The report, furthermore, quoted a Reuters opinion survey of 40 experts who predicted the third wave to arrive between July 15 and October 13.

Swaroop, however, stressed on her point that there is “no way” the wave is going to happen if people “allow it to be controlled.”