Mild third wave of COVID-19 pandemic likely in December, says Maharashtra health minister

Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the third wave of coronavirus pandemic is expected in December but it will be mild in impact. Speaking to a news channel, he had said medical oxygen and ICU beds will not be required during the third wave period. “The third wave is expected to be mild and medical oxygen and ICU beds will not be required,” he said.  Speaking about the current COVID-19 scenario, Tope said as 80 percent of citizens are vaccinated in Maharashtra, the infection level and the mortality rate is less at present. Maharashtra had recorded 766 COVID-19 infections and 19 fatalities in the 24 hours preceding Tuesday even as the active cases in the state remained below 10,000 for the third consecutive day, the health department had said on Tuesday. Maharashtra’s tally of COVID-19 cases stood at 66,31,297 as of Tuesday. Tope said the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic was experienced in September 2020 and the second one in April 2021. Tope said he had met Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya last week seeking the Centre’s nod for administering a booster dose of vaccine for health workers, frontline workers, senior citizens and vulnerable sections and sought to inoculate children in the age group of 12 to 18 years against coronavirus. “Mandaviya said he would discuss the issue with ICMR and get back,” Tope added. AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria had said on Tuesday that a third Covid wave of a magnitude comparable to the first two is unlikely to hit India, as he underlined that absence of surge in cases at the moment suggests that vaccines are still protecting against the virus and there is no need for a booster dose for now. Medical experts too had said that a third wave as devastating as the second one is unlikely though cases may rise, perhaps across late December-February, the impact will be milder.