Difficult to predict if India sees the second wave of COVID-19: ICMR Chief

New Delhi:

ICMR Chief Drs. Balaram Bhargava has said that it is difficult to predict whether India will see a second wave of COVID-19 infection and that the country will have small peaks at different times due to its different geography.


In an exclusive interview with ANI, (Pro) Drs. Bhargava also stated that the situation was evolving rapidly and that there are considerable variations in the prevalence of infection and mortality in different geographies and different demographics around the world.


"SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus. There is still a lot we don't know about. We have also seen considerable variations in the spread of infection and mortality in different geographies and in different demographics around the world. So, It is difficult to predict whether India will see the second wave of infection. There is wide variation in disease distribution in specific states - so one size may not fit all, "he said.

The Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that apart from scientific inputs, full participation of all citizens is necessary to overcome the COVID-19 challenge.

"Due to the diverse geography of our nation, small peaks occur at different times. The situation is developing rapidly, and we will continue to monitor it. However, it is appropriate that people prevent social disturbances, such as the use of masks." Measures follow. And hand hygiene. The right intervention approach, scientific input and full participation of all citizens and communities is necessary to overcome the COVID-19 challenge "he said.

The principal scientist monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the country, Dr. Bhargava said that ICMR has been monitoring the disease since January 2020 and its lab at the National Institute of Virology is also completely different for the first time in the world to learn more about the virus's characteristics and to find a possible cure. Lay at the ground level.

Asked how ICMR will deal with any future threats to the virus, Dr. Bhargava said that even before COVID-19, ICMR had set up a platform to conduct collaborative research on emerging diseases with other 10 Southeast Asian countries.

"We have been at the forefront of dealing with diseases like Nifa, Zika and other emerging infections," he said.

The scientist said that "three DSs - data, development, and distribution" are at the core of dealing with any public health crisis.


"Data is important for evidence-based decision making in interventions and policymaking. The development of innovative tools that drive innovation in the public health space is also important. For example, indigenously developed, rapid, and highly accurate ELISA testing countries Is helping. " To ascertain the amount of coronavirus spread in the country, ultimately, delivery needs to be strengthened to ensure that these interventions reach the beneficiary, ”he said.

Dr. Bhargava said that ICMR has been steadily increasing test capacity since the onset of the epidemic.

"We started with less than 100 tests per day near the onset of the epidemic and today we have the capacity to test more than 5 lakh samples a day with laboratories set up at 18,000 feet in Ladakh. ICMR has 2,02 Has crossed the milestone of., 02,858 trials and we are now the 4th most tested country worldwide, ”he said.

ICMR has also written to private and government medical colleges to increase the virus and it will help these institutions to get the necessary infrastructure and training for testing.

ICMR has recently set up three new state-of-the-art testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata, which can increase testing capacity, reduce exposure risk for lab technicians and reduce turn-around time. .

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"Over time, once the epidemic is controlled, these facilities can also be used to test for other diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, HIV, etc." Bhargava said.

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