Can avoid 3rd wave with vaccination, following norms: AIIMS director

If people are careful and India is able to vaccinate a large number of population, then the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic may not even come, said All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Thursday.

"That depends on how we behave, if we are careful and we have good vaccination coverage, then the third wave may not come, or it will be very little," Guleria told ANI while talking about the third wave of COVID-19.

Sharing his view on the mixing of vaccines, the AIIMS director said, "More data is needed on the mixing of doses. Studies have come which says that it may be effective but with more than usual side effects. We need more data before we can say that this is a policy that should be tried."

Talking about the active number of COVID-19 cases in the country, Dr Guleria suggested that there are some areas where case positivity is high and needs to be aggressively addressed so as to contain the spread furthermore.

"Cases are reducing but there are some areas where case positivity is still high, we need to address the issue aggressively in those areas. They should not become hotspots, leading to the spread of the virus in other areas," he added.