NEW DELHI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A member of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI ) Aayog (commission) Sunday said the possibility of a second wave of infections during the winter season cannot be ruled out in the country.

"In India, the new coronavirus cases and number of deaths have declined in the last three weeks and the pandemic has stabilised in most of the states," India's semi-official news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted V K Paul as having said.

"We cannot rule out possible second wave of coronavirus infections in India in the winter season."

NITI Aayog is the government's top policy think tank and Paul leads the health and nutrition verticals at the commission. He also heads the national expert group on vaccine administration for COVID-19.

He said India is in a somewhat better position but the country still has a long way to go because 90 percent of the people are still susceptible to coronavirus infections.

India is in the grip of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the cases are increasing with each passing day.

India's federal health ministry Sunday said the number of COVID-19 cases in India reached 7,494,551 and death toll rose to 114,031.

Globally India is the second worst-hit country due to COVID-19 pandemic.