India's top doctors' body, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Monday appealed to the central and state governments to not let the guard down on the Covid front. warning that a 'third wave' was just around the corner. It expressed distress over complacency shown by authorities and the public in various parts of India and warned that India had only recently walked out of the disastrous 'second wave', thanks to considerable efforts of the medical fraternity and the administration.

"With the global evidence available and the history of any pandemics, the third wave is inevitable and imminent...However, it is painful to note...in many parts of the country both the government and public are complacent and engaged in mass gatherings without following Covid protocols," NDTV quoted an IMA press release as saying. 

"Tourist bonanza, pilgrimage travel, religious fervor are all needed but can wait for a few more months. Opening up these rituals and enabling people without vaccination to go scot-free in these mass gatherings are potential super spreaders for the Covid third wave," it said.

Going by the experience of the past year-and-a-half, the impact of the third wave can be mitigated by ensuring universal vaccination and following Covid-appropriate behavior, according to IMA.

In a separate video message reiterating the IMA's views on the Covid preparedness across the country, the doctors' body's President Dr Johnrose Austin Jayalal appealed to all state governments to translate the "vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi" of a unified battle against the pandemic and control all mass gatherings.
 
"At this crucial juncture, in the next two to three months...let us not take any chances," he pleaded. 

Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, a decline in average daily vaccination against the coronavirus has been seen since June 21, when the new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination commenced. According to official data available on the CoWIN platform, an average of 61.14 lakh (6 million) doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered daily in the week from June 21-27 which dropped to 41.92 lakh (a little over 4 million) doses daily in the subsequent week from June 28-July 4.

In the week from July 5 to July 11, the daily average vaccine doses number further dipped to 34.32 lakh doses. PTI said. (SAM)