WHO Chief Scientist Hints At India Entering Stage Of Endemicity, Know What It Means

As per the WHO scientist, there is no certainty when, where and how bad a third wave will be.

World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan | AFP

New Delhi:  Amid growing concerns of the third wave of Covid-19 expected to hit the children most, Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation hinted it is likely that India may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity where there is a low or moderate level of transmission going on.

In an interview with journalist Karan Thapar for the online publication The Wire  Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, who is Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation, said as a result of its size and heterogeneity of population and immunity status in different parts of the country, it is "very very feasible" that the situation may continue like this with ups and downs in various parts of the nation.

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What does the stage of endemicity imply?

It is the stage when a population learns to live with a virus. This is different from the epidemic stage when the virus overwhelms a population.

Swaminathan informed that India may be entering some kind of stage of endemicity. She indicated that there is low-level transmission or moderate level transmission going on but not witnessing the kinds of exponential growth and peaks seen a few months ago.

When is the third wave expected to hit the nation?

As per the WHO scientist, there is no certainty when, where and how bad a third wave will be. “All one can do is make an informed guess, ” she added Swaminathan believes India could experience local or regional ups and downs, but is unlikely to see a nationwide third wave similar to the second wave.

The publication quoted Swaminathan saying that even if children are likely to get infected in a third wave in large numbers, it is very unlikely that they will fall seriously ill. While putting our concerns to rest, she said “there is no need to panic on this score although it’s advisable to be prepared for more infections in children.”