Coronavirus: India braces for third wave as Omicron fears cancel Christmas in New Delhi
- Officials say they are ready for a surge in cases given Omicron’s seemingly milder symptoms when compared to the deadly Delta variant
- But millions in India remain unvaccinated – and an alarming new study suggests protection may be waning even for those who’ve received two doses of Covishield
A fortnight ago, capital New Delhi was registering just 30 to 40 fresh cases a day – but recent weeks have seen those numbers tick ever higher, prompting the country’s Health Ministry to issue recommendations for state governments to implement new nighttime lockdowns, ban large gatherings, and watch out for infection clusters.
The order has gone out that containment measures must be imposed if more than 10 per cent of Covid-19 tests that are administered come back positive, or if more than 40 per cent of hospital ICU beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.
On Wednesday, Delhi banned all public celebrations of Christmas and new year in the capital – a sign of officials’ third wave fears. Some states are reimposing strict curbs on movement, while several banning unvaccinated people from entering public places from January 1.
Delhi officials say they are ready for a surge in cases and are set to impose a programme of home isolation for patients to ease pressure on health care facilities, given the milder symptoms that Omicron seems to cause compared to the deadly Delta variant.
“The idea is for a private agency to run this and deal with over 1,000 new cases a day, if required, for the next three months,” said Dr Suneela Garg, a member of the capital’s Covid Task Force. “Although we have enough hospital beds, home isolation will be sufficient and will stop hospitals from being overwhelmed.”