COVID-19 in India: Expert weighs in on reports of fourth wave

India's Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday (April 19) released daily coronavirus (COVID-19) data that was recorded in the last 24 hours.

The data shows a steep decline in Covid cases as it recorded 1,247 infections in the past 24 hours as compared to 2,183 on Monday.

The sudden jump in cases on Monday caused panic among locals as many thought that the fourth Covid wave in the country is likely.

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However, an expert has weighed in on the same as he refuted the claims. Manindra Agrawal, who is a professor at IIT Kanpur said that the fourth wave of Covid is unlikely.

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As quoted by an India-based media outlet India Today, Agrawal explained that there are no new mutants that have come to the notice of the officials.

Agrawal's mathematical model related to various coronavirus trends in the country had been used as a reference to study and analyse Covid activity.

While speaking to the media outlet, Agrawal said that the chances of the fourth wave in India are lesser as the natural immunity against coronavirus among the people is above ninety per cent.

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Referring to the rise in cases, he told the website, "Recently, schools have opened and people have stopped using masks so there is an increased exposure to the variant."

"But this will not have a severe impact on people's health as the immunity to the current variant is strong," he added.

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