(Image source from: thehindu.com)

While the pandemic situations in the Western countries of the globe turned normal, the wave is higher in India. The wave reached an all-time high during the last week of April and it continued to be high in May. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the Indian mutant is a worrying variant and it is found in more than 45 countries of the globe. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization said that the next 6-18 months is most crucial for everyone who are battling the pandemic. She said that it all depends on the ability of the vaccines for the different variants. It also depends on the duration of the protective immunity of the vaccines.

"We have to vaccinate more than 30 percent of the world's population by the end of the year to get good control on the cases. Then there would be a significant downfall in the new deaths due to coronavirus. Then the cases can be controlled through mass vaccination in 2022. It is very important to understand about the wrong drug given and the time during which the drug is given" told Soumya Swaminathan. She said that there are several drugs that hardly make an impact. Though the Indian mutant is like the same as others, the spread is huge and is 15 times more than the normal one. Soumya Swaminathan concludes by saying that everyone should get vaccinated at the earliest to stay safe and the available vaccines in India are quite effective for the current variants of coronavirus.

By Siva Kumar