India must begin preparing for an 'inevitable' third wave of Covid, scientists have warned, even as the country's brutal second wave shows no sign of slowing. The country is suffering the world's worst second wave of Covid, and while there had been faint hopes that infections were slowing this week, they were dashed today as 412,262 new cases were reported with 3,980 new deaths, both one-day records. But even before the second wave has hit its peak, chief scientific advisor K. Vijay Raghavan warned the country will see a repeat of the disaster - the only question is how long it will take to hit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been widely criticized for not acting sooner to suppress the second wave, after religious festivals and political rallies drew tens of thousands of people in recent weeks and became 'super spreader' events. Student doctors like Rohan Aggarwal, 26, recruited to fight the second wave, are being forced to make life and death decisions.

Source: The Nation May 06, 2021 08:26 UTC