NEW DELHI: Even as India is seeing a spike in daily Covid-19 cases, the second wave of the infection might last up to 100 days counted from February 15, says a research report from SBI.
While the report estimates the second wave to result in a total of around 25 lakh Covid cases across the country based on trends till March 23, it predicts that India might reach the peak in the second half of April.
The report, titled ‘Second wave of infections: The beginning of the end?’, also highlights Covid vaccination as a key tool to combat the pandemic, particularly for India which is seeing a surge at a time when vaccination is picking up pace. “Though global experience shows second wave much higher in intensity than the first wave, presence of vaccine makes the difference currently. Thus India will be able to manage the situation better,” the report said. Increasing the speed of vaccination is the only way to win the battle against the pandemic, it said.
India is at present seeing a spike in daily cases with 53,476 new cases reported across the country on Wednesday. Of this, Maharashtra accounts for 31,855, followed by Punjab with 2,613 cases. Meanwhile, India has administered over 5.3 crore vaccine doses. District-wise analysis reveals that cases have again started increasing in top 15 districts, mostly urban, while the spread in rural districts is almost stable.
The report says cases are largely localised and maintains that lockdown or restrictions may not help the situation and this is evident in Maharashtra and Punjab, where cases continue to rise. Instead, it argues that mass vaccination is the only hope.
While the government has decided to open up vaccination for all above 45 years from April 1, irrespective of co-morbidities, the report says if more people come forward for immunisation and the daily inoculations increase to 40-45 lakh from the current maximum level of 34 lakh, the target of those above 45 can be met in 4 months from now, says the report.
While the report estimates the second wave to result in a total of around 25 lakh Covid cases across the country based on trends till March 23, it predicts that India might reach the peak in the second half of April.
The report, titled ‘Second wave of infections: The beginning of the end?’, also highlights Covid vaccination as a key tool to combat the pandemic, particularly for India which is seeing a surge at a time when vaccination is picking up pace. “Though global experience shows second wave much higher in intensity than the first wave, presence of vaccine makes the difference currently. Thus India will be able to manage the situation better,” the report said. Increasing the speed of vaccination is the only way to win the battle against the pandemic, it said.
India is at present seeing a spike in daily cases with 53,476 new cases reported across the country on Wednesday. Of this, Maharashtra accounts for 31,855, followed by Punjab with 2,613 cases. Meanwhile, India has administered over 5.3 crore vaccine doses. District-wise analysis reveals that cases have again started increasing in top 15 districts, mostly urban, while the spread in rural districts is almost stable.
The report says cases are largely localised and maintains that lockdown or restrictions may not help the situation and this is evident in Maharashtra and Punjab, where cases continue to rise. Instead, it argues that mass vaccination is the only hope.
While the government has decided to open up vaccination for all above 45 years from April 1, irrespective of co-morbidities, the report says if more people come forward for immunisation and the daily inoculations increase to 40-45 lakh from the current maximum level of 34 lakh, the target of those above 45 can be met in 4 months from now, says the report.