Virus mutated in Jan/Feb, spread more rapidly: AIIMS chief on Covid surge

'This is a time when a lot of religious activities happen in our country and polls are also underway. We must understand lives are also important,' says Randeep Guleria

As India witnessed a whopping 234,692 coronavirus cases within a span of 24 hours on Saturday, AIIMS Director explained why the country suddenly found itself in the grip of a severe second wave. 

"The cause for the surge in Covid cases is multifactorial. But two main causes are when in January/February vaccination started, cases started going down and people stopped following Covid-appropriate behaviour and at this time the virus mutated and it spread more rapidly," said Dr Randeep Guleria.

He also spoke about the massive pressure on the country's health infrastructure as the second Covid wave continues to intensify. 

"We are seeing a