The government’s scientific panel warns that the onset of winter and upcoming festivals could lead to a significant increase in cases.
An Indian scientific panel has said that the onset of winter and upcoming festivals could lead to a significant increase of up to 2.6 million coronavirus cases a month if current rules to control the spread of the disease are relaxed.
India’s government-appointed National Committee of COVID-19 Supermodels said on Sunday that the country has crossed the peak of the coronavirus and predicted that the pandemic could be brought under control early next year, provided all measures are followed. security.
The panel emphasized that protective measures must continue. “If protocols are followed, the pandemic can be brought under control early next year with minimal active infections in late February,” he said.
The panel predicted that the total number of infections in India by the time the pandemic ends could be about 10.6 million cases.
The committee, tasked with shedding light on the likely trajectory of the pandemic in India, includes members of India’s leading scientific institutions, including the Indian Council for Medical Research, the country’s nodal body in the fight against the virus.
India, the second most infected country in the world after the United States, added 55,722 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its count to more than 7.5 million cases, the federal Health Ministry said.
If current trends continue, India will beat America’s infection count early next month.
India has seen an increase in cases since June, but the spread of the virus appears to have slowed since mid-September, when daily infections reached a record 97,894.
Globally, infections are increasing and several countries are entering a third wave of the pandemic.
Girls clean a 34-foot-tall idol of Hindu goddess Durga at a temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat [Amit Dave/Reuters]
Meanwhile, India is bracing for a surge in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks as it heads into its main holiday season with an economy free of virus restrictions.
Cash-strapped state governments are reluctant to prevent people from venturing out during the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja next week and Diwali in mid-November.
The holidays are celebrated with family reunions, buying bumpers and giving gifts, from candy and snacks to clothes and cars, generating vital income for many people.
West Bengal, where the ruling party is expected to face a tough challenge in next year’s elections from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, has allowed 42% more Durga Puja community gatherings this year and doubled state funding. for them.
Devotees flock to pray before the great idols of the warrior goddess Durga installed under elaborate temporary structures.
