Fresh fears of 4th wave? India logs 12,000+ Covid cases for 2nd day in a row

As India faces an alarming rise in daily coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, fears of the fourth wave loom, especially in some densely populated cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, etc. On Friday (June 17) the health ministry of the country issued a concerning data. India reported a single-day rise of 12,847 Covid infections, taking the tally of cases to 4,32,70,577. First time in months daily cases crossed the 10,000-mark.

The active cases increased to 63,063, according to the data. India's total number of deaths rose to 5,24,817 with 14 new Covid-related fatalities on Friday. The question here is, should we be worried about a potential fourth wave of Covid?

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The country removed a majority of Covid restrictions when the number of cases averaged below 3000-mark. However, with an uptick of cases in April, the country re-imposed some measures such as mask mandate, etc. in some parts of the country. The measures were subsequently removed.

However, a country that was impacted immensely during the second and third waves of Covid, is apprehensive about a possible fourth wave of the pandemic.

What did experts say last time?

A similar concern was raised in March and April when experts had predicted a possible fourth wave in May and June. Meanwhile, on April 25, India's renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Prasad Shetty said that there is no need to fear or have panic reactions.

He also added that the concentration should be on the number of hospitalisations and not the positivity. "Third wave was not that serious, so there is no need to fear or have panic reactions. We should only go by the number of patients admitted in hospital. One lakh people or 50,000 people getting positive does not mean anything," Shetty had told reporters.

No new wave, but experts show concerns

At the fag end of May and start of June, when cases were rising, some experts weighed in on the situation. In a report published in the first week of June, health ministry officials said the spike does not indicate the fourth wave. Dr NK Arora, the head of Covid working group, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, said the rise in infections is "localised".

Meanwhile, Dr K Srinath Reddy, the president of the Public Health Foundation of India said the jump suggests a new wave is building. As quoted by media outlets, he said, "Factors such as abandonment of Covid protocols, waning of immunity, and emergence of new variants are writing the script for this sequel in the Covid movie."

Current Covid situation in the country

The number of people who have recovered from the disease rose to 4,26,82,697. A total of 5,24,817 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,47,880 from Maharashtra, 69,853 from Kerala, 40,110 from Karnataka, 38,026 from Tamil Nadu, 26,225 from Delhi, 23,525 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,207 from West Bengal.

Of the 14 new fatalities, eight are from Kerala, three from Maharashtra, two from Delhi and one from Karnataka. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

According to the ministry, 195.84 crore doses of vaccines have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

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