Third wave of Covid-19 likely to hit Visakhapatnam in August 2021

As the number of Covid-19 cases in the second wave has dropped down, with cases below 100 recorded daily in Vizag, hospitals in the city are now reporting no more than three to four Covid-19 patients. It is being said that the third wave of the pandemic will hit Visakhapatnam in August 2021 and may worsen in October 2021. The second wave of the pandemic had worsened in May and required a partial curfew, by the Andhra Pradesh State Government, to bring the situation back under control.

During this time, there came a point in the pandemic when hospitals in the city were packed and couldn’t handle the number of patients. Subsequently, a high number of deaths were being reported every day. To avoid such morbid numbers in the third wave, hospitals have been instructed to make arrangements for the necessary beds and other medical equipment. This is especially for children, who are said to be under a bigger threat from the third wave.

According to recent studies, India may witness the third Covid-19 wave from August 2021 and is likely to reach its peak by October 2021. Around 300 patients are currently being treated at 33 Covid-19 notified hospitals in the city. District Medical & Health Officials have been preparing for the third wave in Visakhapatnam. A nodal officer has been deployed at each government and private hospital in the city to make all the preparations for the third wave. All the hospitals are preparing reports for the requirement of beds, oxygen availability and the number of drugs needed. 

But even before the third wave arrives in Vizag, there has been a worry among the citizens on the spread of delta plus variant cases. The city has now reported its first case of delta variant. A 51-year-old woman from Vambe Colony, in Madhurawada, had tested positive for Covid-19 at the local primary health care centre and it was found to be the delta variant. 

Meanwhile, a majority of the Covid-19 hospitals in the city have been denotified and are back to treating regular patients. From Monday, VIMS Hospital has also started treating non-Covid patients. King George Hospital has been reporting a few cases of Covid-19, but since the individuals testing positive are reporting mild symptoms and being given the option of home isolation.