Even as there has been rising concerns over the Delta plus variant of the virus, Covid Task Force chief V K Paul on Monday asserted that neither there is any scientific data so far to establish that the new variant is highly transmissible or reduces vaccine efficacy nor any date when it would arrive.
“It will be unfair to put a date for any Covid wave as the behaviour of coronavirus is unpredictable and a disciplined and effective pandemic response can help the country get away from any significant outbreak,” he said.
His assertion yet again comes in contrast to AIIMS chief Randeep Guleria’s prediction that the third wave will come in next eight weeks. Dr Arora had on Sunday also cited an ICMR study to claim that the third wave of coronavirus could be delayed until December this year.
Dr Paul said that another wave of any size would be dependent upon several factors, including overall discipline in terms of Covid-appropriate behaviour, testing and containment strategies, and vaccination rates.
“And in addition, the unpredictable behaviour of the virus can also change the pandemic dynamics. In such a scenario, their complex factor will determine the chain of transmission and outbreak,” he told a news agency.
“Occurrence or non-occurrence of any wave, is in our own hands. To my mind, it is not fair to put any date for any wave,” he said.
“If we are determined and disciplined and marshal effective pandemic response, we should be in a position to get away from any significant outbreak,” Paul said.
Currently, three Covid vaccines — Covaxin by Bharat Biotech, Covishield by Serum Institute of India (SII) and Russia’s Sputnik V— are being used for inoculation in India.
When asked about the Delta plus variant, Paul said scientific knowledge about it is still in the early stage. “We should wait for these aspects to be studied systematically,” he pointed out.