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While scientists around the world are doing their best to develop a vaccine and antiviral for Covid-19, governments are seeking to stem the rapid decline of the global economy by lifting the blockade in phases.
In such a scenario, in which the number of Covid-19 cases has steadily increased, and adequate preventive and therapeutic solutions for the pandemic have yet to be discovered, a second wave of infectious disease could turn into a nightmare.
First, what is the second wave of Covid-19?
By now, you should know that pandemics are caused by pathogens like viruses and bacteria. And since these are new, the human body invariably has no immunity against them.
Additionally, pandemics are rare, but the flu, or a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system, is one of the most common causes.
One of the most common features in many of the pandemics we have had in the recent past are flu-like symptoms in which viral infection attacks the respiratory system.
Now, the new variant of a flu virus that has taken on pandemic proportions is wreaking havoc before temporarily withdrawing due to factors such as changing weather conditions or an extraordinary slowdown in movement induced by blockages that aim to contain the spread of the virus. .
However, once there is another change in the weather or the blockade is lifted entirely or in phases, it can start to spread around the world again.
According to scientists, the trajectory of Covid-19 cases in India may have stagnated and could even fall for a few weeks after the blockade is lifted. However, the country is likely to see a second wave in late July or August, with an increase in the number of cases during the monsoon.
The timing of the spike will depend on India’s ability to maintain social distancing and the degree to which the infection spreads once the restrictions are relaxed, they said.
But why exactly is the second wave made to be so important?
Last month, China again imposed restrictions on certain parts of the country due to a wave of new cases, indicating that a second wave is looming.
Countries are rigorously practicing social distancing and have announced blockades to contain the further spread of the virus. However, once the block is lifted, it will leave many people vulnerable to infection as they start to come out again. This is because the virus was only contained and was not treated.
Sundaresan, corresponding author of a working paper by researchers from the IISc and the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, confirmed this in an interview with PTI. He said: “Once we get back to normal activity levels, there is a chance that the infection will start to increase again. China is seeing this to some extent after easing some travel restrictions.”
While there are many reasons, including changing weather conditions and movement restrictions causing the gradual elimination of the first wave of infection, we must not forget that the second wave of the historical outbreak of influenza in 1918 caused the majority of deaths in the pandemic.
According to a media report, some researchers believe that the second wave of the 1918 outbreak was caused by a mutation that once again made the virus unrecognizable to the immune system of most people. Another important variable is the movement of the virus to populations that have not been exposed before and that do not have immunity.
In fact, reports suggest that there are cases of people who have recovered from the coronovirus and are re-infected with the disease. The fact that many of them are asymptomatic, which means they show no signs of extreme weakness, fever, or shortness of breath, makes the scenario quite scary.
However, there is hope. A disease in the coronovirus family called severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, infected parts of Asia during the 2002-2003 outbreak, but never acquired the height of a pandemic.
So what can we do?
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