Festivals in India may lead to 2.6 million virus cases a month
NEW DELHI – An Indian scientific panel on Sunday(18) said India has crossed a COVID-19 peak and forecast that the epidemic could be brought under control by early next year provided all safety measures were followed.
However, the onset of winter and upcoming festivals may increase infections and again lead to a surge in cases, the government-appointed COVID-19 India National Supermodel Committee said.
Relaxation in protective measures could lead to a significant rise of up to 2.6 million cases a month, it said.
India, the second-worst infected country worldwide after the US, added 61,871 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking its tally to nearly 7.5 million cases, the federal health ministry said.
India has seen a surge in cases since June but the virus spread appears to have slowed down since mid-September when daily infections hit a record of 97,894. Globally, infections are on the rise, with several countries entering a third wave of the pandemic.
The panel emphasized that protective measures must continue. “If protocols are followed, the pandemic can be controlled by early next year with minimal active infections by February’s end,” it concluded.
The total number of infections by the time the epidemic ends could be around 10.6 million cases.
Some experts have warned that India would continue to see further coronavirus waves while casting doubts over India’s numbers because of poor reporting.
The committee, tasked to shed light on the likely trajectory of the pandemic in India, includes members from India’s top scientific institutions including the Indian Council of Medical Research, the country’s nodal body in the fight against the virus.
-dpa