The third wave of the Covid pandemic is literally wreaking havoc in India. The country reported over 2,70,000 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, and this third wave is driven by twin threats; Delta and Omicron variants of the pandemic. Amid looming scare, a top virologist in the country has suggested that India, and perhaps, the entire planet is now battling two pandemics.
Two pandemics wreaking havoc in India
Dr T Jacob John, a top virologist in India revealed that Omicron is a deviant from the Covid pandemic progression script, which means, we are battling two pandemics; Delta and its close relatives, and other variants which include Omicron, the new variant of concern which is highly transmissible.
While talking to PTI, Jacob John noted that the Omicron variant is not fathered or mothered by Alpha, Beta, Gamma, or Delta. He added that the Omicron variant could be a variant of unknown proximal parentage, but the great great grandparent was Wuhan-D614G.
"Since Omicron is illegitimate or deviant from Covid-19 pandemic progression script, we must think of two pandemics going side by side. Diseases caused by them are also different. One is Pneumonia-hypoxia-multiorgan damage disease but the other an upper/middle respiratory disease that pushes pre-existing chronic disease or old age beyond the wall," said Jacob John.
Will the third wave end soon?
Talking about the timeline of the third wave of the pandemic in India, Jacob John noted that cases will start decreasing in metro cities first, as it is in these areas that the wave initially began.
He also added that the new variants of the pandemic could be more infectious, but less pathogenic.
