Corona – now they fear revenge

India is now preparing for a possible third wave, as a result of increased infections and major events ahead of the 2022 elections, the US news company writes CNN.

On Wednesday, India recorded nearly 800 omicron cases, which is triple the previous week. At the same time, the total number of corona infections rose to 9,195 recorded daily. This is an increase of 44 percent over the previous day, according to the news channel Al-Jazeera.

In many countries, the omicron variant has spread faster than previous variants, and many Indian health experts now fear the development in the country of 1.3 billion people.

– If we see the same pattern in India as in the UK, and we compare populations in both countries, 80,000 daily cases in the UK would mean about 1.4 million daily infections in India, says the leader of the country’s coronavirus task force, VK Paul, during Press Conference.

It is also stated that actual omicron infection rates are likely to be higher than official figures, due to insufficient testing.

The country is now preparing for a wave of oomicron infections.

India has so far vaccinated about 42 percent of the population, which makes up 577 million people, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

From January, the country will begin vaccinating children aged 15-18, as well as distributing booster doses to priority groups such as health professionals and the elderly.

But the risk of rapid spread of the omicron variant is increasing as many residents have now stopped wearing bandages, tested themselves less frequently and gathered in large crowds.

moral collapse

Increasing incidence in major cities

Data from other countries indicate that the omicron variant causes milder disease than delta disease, especially among fully vaccinated. Therefore, fewer hospitalizations are expected as a result of omicron infection. However, due to the high population, there will still be some admissions process in India.

Last month, infection rates in India remained between 6000 and 9,000 cases recorded per day, but now many of the largest cities are noticing an increase.

Mumbai, India’s most populous city, has seen between 600 and 800 cases per day in recent weeks. And the number of injured people jumped, on Wednesday, to 2510 registered injured. The capital, New Delhi, also recorded more than 900 cases on Wednesday, a sharp increase from the beginning of December.

Very high risk

The capital, New Delhi, has seen the highest incidence of omicron cases so far, and is now banning large gatherings at Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Several other states also announced new restrictions, including nightly curfews and bans on vaccinations for visitors to stores and restaurants.

– The infection increased with the arrival of international flights, Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, according to Al Jazeera.

The health minister of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, said it was frightening to see an increase in infection rates.

“If the infection increases further in Mumbai, we should consider imposing restrictions,” he told Indian news agency ANI.

The federal health ministry warned last week of the first signs of an increase in infection rates, and researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology estimate that a third wave will occur in late winter or early spring.

Crowds without face masks

Political parties are now traveling across the country to talk to people ahead of the 2022 elections. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also visited several electoral states.

Last month, the prime minister visited Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, seven times, drawing large crowds.

Last Thursday, hundreds of thousands of people turned up when Modi spoke in Uttar Pradesh, and videos from the event showed large crowds without masks, close together, according to CNN.

On the same day, a state Supreme Court judge called on the prime minister to ban the events, claiming that it simply couldn’t stay away from large crowds. He even recommended postponing the elections.

And he warned, according to the American news channel, that “if this is not stopped in time, the results will be worse than the second wave.”

India was hit by a second wave of infections from March to June, and the country’s health care system was completely overburdened. Patients were rejected as a result of overcrowding in hospitals, leaving people to die in the streets.

Experts now fear that India may be heading for a third wave.