Second wave not yet over, Delta plus may not be dangerous: NTAGI chief
Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Jul, 2021 10:51 AM
New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) India is still witnessing the second wave which is not yet over as northeastern states and some parts of south India are still battling it, a member of the government's Covid expert panel said on Thursday.
Talking to IANS, Covid-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) Chairman N.K. Arora said: "Second wave is not yet over..."
He also contended that the Delta Plus variant is "not going to be that disturbing or harmful" while the Delta variant infection is still in some parts of the country.
Some experts suggest that there may be possible third wave at the end of August but it may not be as devastating as the second wave was during April to June.
Experts also stress that adherence to Covid protocols is mandatory to curb the infection and vaccination is an important tool to fight the pandemic.
The Indian Council of Medical Research's Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division head Samiran Panda has said that the vaccines available now largely are effective against the new variants, but the efficacy may differ for different strains.
Vaccines are not infection-preventing, but disease-modifying, he added.
A 34-year-old Indian man, likely to be extradited to the United Kingdom in the first week of October for allegedly committing rape and murder there 10 years ago, said through his lawyer on Sunday that he was being made a scapegoat since he hailed from a poor family.
A photograph of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan reading William Dalrymple's latest book 'The Anarchy' on his flight to Jeddah with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi peeking over from his seat has gone viral on social media.
According to district police officials, Rabri Devi agreed to allow entry of her daughter-in-law in her residence on Monday morning following intervention by the Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey.
A 19-year-old Delhi-based Christian girl who flew to Abu Dhabi earlier this month and embraced Islam, has rubbished reports that she has been abducted and coerced into joining a terrorist group, adding that she came to the UAE for love.
Actress Anushka Sharma says she is proud of her cricketer husband Virat Kohli for hosting Indian Sports Honours (ISH), which recognises sporting talent in India.
Veteran actor of Marathi and Hindi films Viju Khote, who was popular for his Kalia character from the 1975 cult classic "Sholay" is no more. He was 78.