Should India prepare for a fourth wave of Covid-19?

So far, India has given out over 1.8 billion doses of vaccine, vaccinating 80 percent of people. More than half a million people have died, making it the world’s third-highest death toll. One explanation, they claim, is that most Indians have developed protective immunity to the virus as a result of infection or vaccination. The most commonly used vaccination in India is Covidshield, which accounts for more than 80% of all doses provided. India has given out more than 20 million booster vaccination shots since January.

According to Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, the chances of a large-scale countrywide outbreak of diseases in India in the near future are “very remote.” At a vaccination center in Mumbai, India, on January 10, a police officer reacts as he receives a booster dose of the COVISHIELD vaccine against the coronavirus illness (COVID-19), developed by Serum Institute of India. India has licensed nine Covid vaccines, five of which are manufactured in the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, for example, provides specific standards on who may get a booster dose and when and which vaccination can be used.

“Why shouldn’t Indians have access to the greatest option?” Dr. Jameel wonders. Dr. Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, warns that India – and the rest of the globe – must be on the lookout for new strains.
“The longer the virus circulates and replicates, the more opportunities it has to change in a variety of ways, one of which may be a virus that is more infective and causes severe illness.” On the 24th of May 2021, a general view of the COVID-19 vaccination chamber during the immunisation push in Bangalore, India.