New Delhi: A study conducted by IIT-Kanpur researchers shows that the third wave of Covid-19 set in mid-December, and it may hit its peak in February next year.
The yet-to-be peer reviewed study has used a statistical methodology based on the data of the first two waves of pandemic to forecast the third wave. The team also dipped into the data of different countries that are already facing the third wave.
A separate study led by a joint team from the IITs Hyderabad and Kanpur is based on the Sutra model, which tracks the country's Covid-19 trajectory. According to Professor M. Vidyasagar of IIT Hyderabad and Maninda Agrawal of IIT Kanpur, the daily caseload is expected to rise as Omicron begins to displace Delta as the dominant variant.
Incidentally, India registered 6,317 fresh Covid cases and 318 deaths in the last 24 hours; the Omicron tally has reached 213. With the addition of 318 new deaths, the death toll has climbed to 4,78,325.
However, the studies have noted that the infection rate will be milder than seen in the second wave, due to a large-scale immunity and vaccination present in the country now.
