Another COVID-19 Wave Expected To Hit India In 6 to 8 Months: Experts Warn of New Variants

Giving insights about what the country could witness in the next few months, the experts, in a statement have warned that there can be another COVID wave in the next 6 to 8 months.

Are we going to witness more COVID peaks in the future? Isn't the COVID-19 pandemic is over and the world is moving towards an endemic? these questions are hovering in the minds of the common people for the past few weeks, as the world goes back to lifting restrictions and living a less complicated life that was in place due to the deadly COVID-19 virus outbreak. But, wait, there is more to just this. Giving insights about what the country could witness in the next few months, the experts, in a statement have warned that there can be another COVID wave in the next 6 to 8 months.

Is It Omicron Which Will Bring Another Wave?

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is so far the most mutated one that the world has faced. With more than 30 worrisome mutations in its spike protein, this variant is the current cause of concern for the health sectors across the globe. But, when experts talk about the next wave, is it going to be due to this new variant? Not exactly.

According to the experts from the COVID task force team, neither Omicron (BA.1) nor the BA.2 variant will lead to a new surge in daily COVID cases or be precise a new COVID wave globally. Talking to the media, the officials of the COVID task force said, "even though the Omicron BA.2 is more transmissible than the previously identified BA.1 subvariant, it will not cause another surge."

Which Variant Will Lead To Another Wave?

This has been asserted by almost all the health experts that COVID is here to stay. The virus won't vanish away, but what will happen is it might become a part of the environment and cause less severe diseases or illnesses. Along similar lines, the COVID task force officials also said that the coronavirus is going to be around and it will come in ups and downs for a very long time. According to the experts, when the next variant comes, there will be a surge. "We do not know when that will be, but history says that it can happen once inevitably six to eight months and that is typically how it acts," Co-Chairman National IMA COVID Task Force Dr Rajeev Jayadevan said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

BA.2 Variant Is Here: Should You Be Worried?

BA.2 is not a new variant, it is only a sub-lineage of the Omcron BA.1 variant. Therefore, those individuals who were once infected by the BA.1 sub-variant of COVID-19 previously won't catch the BA.2 strain. "It will not cause another surge. BA.2 is not capable of infecting people who had BA.1. It's not a new virus or strain. BA.2 is a sub-lineage of Omicron," Dr Jayadevan told ANI. However, experts urge people to follow proper protocols in order to make sure that the virus is not spreading at a fast pace.

(With inputs from Agencies)