The WHO Chief Scientist said that India may be entering an endemic stage
Even as the threat of a third wave in India continues, the WHO Chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, “We may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity where there is low level transmission or moderate level transmission going on but we are not seeing the kinds of exponential growth and peaks that we saw a few months ago.” An endemic stage is a situation where people begin to learn to live with the virus and is not overwhelming as in an epidemic.
Ms. Swaminathan said that India still needs to increase vaccinations and ensure that gatherings are cut down which could be super spreaders. Covid protocols of wearing a mask, sanitising and social distancing are to be strictly followed. She said that, “by the end of 2022 we would be in that position that we have achieved vaccine coverage, say 70 per cent, and then countries can get back to normal”.
