‘COVID will become endemic if no spike in cases for 3 months’

Don’t brush off symptoms as regular fever though, cautions DPH

There is no threat of a COVID-19 third wave considering the current situation, said Director of Public Health G. Srinivasa Rao, adding that the low number of susceptible population, intensification of vaccination drive and weakening of Delta variant of coronavirus were considered to assess the current situation.

He, however, has urged people to get tested for the disease upon spotting symptoms instead of brushing it off as regular fever which could later lead to a severe infection and, possibly, death. He cited the example of a 17-year-old girl from Hyderabad who died in the third week of September after being diagnosed with an advanced stage of COVID-19.

“If there is no spike in cases till the end of December, and if a strong variant of coronavirus does not emerge, then COVID will become endemic,” said Dr Srinivasa Rao at a press conference at the State Health Campus, Koti, on Monday. He said an infectious disease breaks out as a pandemic, which turns into an epidemic and then becomes endemic.