Bengal better equipped but cannot rule out another wave of COVID-19: doctors

Physical, psychological, social and familial collateral damage inflicted upon the healthcare workforce must be addressed, they say

Another wave of COVID-19 — with a slightly lower peak — may hit the country by the end of August, according to a well-known Kolkata doctor who has attended to nearly 4,000 patients. “Nationally, the number of daily cases has plateaued at about 35,000. But COVID-19 has not disappeared, it will come back inevitably. My assessment is not based on any model but on the current pattern visible in the country. The new wave is most likely going to originate from Kerala and Maharashtra and spill over to other States,” said Dr. Rahul Jain, an internal medicine specialist at the Bellevue Clinic. This third wave, according to Dr. Jain, should peak around end-September and was more likely to affect semi-urban and rural areas. “Lockdowns are no longer feasible. Masks, therefore, are a must, irrespective of whether you are vaccinated. Unnecessary crowding is also not a good idea,” he said.