New Delhi: The scientific advisor to the Union government Dr. K Vijay Raghavan on Friday said that “If we take strict measures, the third wave may not happen in all the places or indeed anywhere at all. It depends much on how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level, in the states, in districts and in the cities everywhere.”

Two days ago he had made comments on third wave is inevitable given the high levels at which this virus is circulating. But it is not clear at what time scale this Phase 3 will occur.”  He also said that the current surge in infections seems to be because of the Indian “double mutant” Covid-19 and the spread of the UK variant has slowed. The vaccines will need to be updated to tackle the new strains that are spreading the contagion faster, he added.

India’s healthcare system is crumbling under the weight of patients, with hospitals running out of beds and medical oxygen. Morgues and crematoriums cannot handle the number of dead and makeshift funeral pyres burn in parks and car parks. The Covid-19 cases in the country reported another record of rising the cases on Friday with a record of 4, 14,188 and the death stall rose by 3,915 to 2, 34,083.

According to the medical experts, the real extent of Covid-19 in India is five to 10 times the official tallies. While India is the world’s biggest vaccine maker, it is struggling to produce and distribute enough doses to stem the wave of Covid-19. Although the country has administered at least 15.7 crore vaccine doses, its rate of inoculation has fallen sharply in recent days.