Large Crowds, Mutant Strains Behind India's Covid Surge: AIIMS Chief

India added 43,846 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours alone, setting another highest daily-high in nearly four months, amid a worrying surge.

There is nothing to stop the second wave of Covid-19 in India from being as severe as the first unless people follow appropriate behaviour and are quickly vaccinated, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) chief Dr Randeep Guleria has warned. The recent spike in infections is likely being caused by slip-ups in precautionary measures and variants of the virus, he said. The cases could spread even more rapidly if basic protective steps like wearing masks and rigorous contact-tracing are not followed. "There is a loss of Covid-appropriate behaviour. Now people feel that the pandemic is over because vaccines are here. So they fail to wear masks. We see large crowds gathering - again without masks. Many of these crowded events have become super-spreading events," Dr Guleria told NDTV in an exclusive interview. "The other issue is that we are become lax in the basic principle of testing, tracking, and isolating than what were doing six months ago. The third point is that the virus itself is mutating and some of the variants are more infectious," he said. India added 43,846 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours alone, setting another highest daily-high in nearly four months, amid a worrying surge. This rise has prompted states like Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu to consider revert to school closure, restricted public gatherings, and other measures, including lockdowns in worst-hit districts.