COVID-19 crisis far from over; 3rd wave to be more dangerous: CSIR official

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Director General Shekhar C Mande on Sunday warned that COVID-19 crisis was far from being over and allowing a "third wave" by lowering our guard is fraught with grave consequences.

Also, continued collaboration across institutions was necessary to come out of current situation as well as ward off catastrophic situations arising out of climate change and over dependence on fossil fuels which h potential to wipe out entire humanity, he said.

Mande was speaking on India's response to Covid-19 from S & T perspective at a virtual National Science Day Lectures, organised by Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology here. expert clarified that India is nowhere near achieving herd immunity and as such people should continue to wear masks and maintain social distancing and hand hygiene to stay away from getting infected by virus.Cautioning people and scientific community against allowing "complacency to set in," he warned that a third wave would precipitate a far more dangerous situation than challenge country h faced so far.RGCB Director Chandrabhas Narayana moderated digital lectures.Answering questions from scientific community, Mande expressed hope that Covid-19 vaccines would be effective against coronavirus variants. evidence "is not very strong" that vaccines would not work against mutated virus.

"We would like to believe that vaccines are effective" against variants as vaccines worked against entire part of virus while mutation took place on a part of virus, he explained.

prevalence of COVID-19 cases h come down not because of herd immunity, but because of or reasons, including wearing of masks and people remaining outdoors during winter. fact that virus remained suspended in air in closed areas and it lost its potency in open areas helped a great deal in controlling spre during winter, expertsaid.Precisely for same reason, disease went out of control in West where people remained indoors during winter, he ded.

Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Axilor Ventures, and Jayant Sahasrabudhe, National Organising Secretary of Vijnana Bharati, also delivered lectures.