Indian gov't adviser says 3rd wave of COVID-19 may not happen if strong measures taken

NEW DELHI, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Indian government's top scientific adviser K. Vijay Raghavan said on Friday that the third wave of COVID-19 might not happen if strong measures are taken.

"If we take strong measures, the third wave may not happen in all the places or indeed anywhere at all. It depends much on how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level, in the states, in districts and in the cities everywhere," he said.

Two days earlier Raghavan warned the country would face a third wave of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"Phase 3 (third wave) is inevitable, given the high levels at which this virus is circulating. But it is not clear at what time scale this Phase 3 will occur," he said.

Experts said the current spike in infections seemed to be caused by a variant of COVID-19 in India.

India has been hit by a devastating second wave of COVID-19 cases.

The health ministry said on Friday morning that 414,188 new cases and 3,915 related deaths were registered in the past 24 hours across the country.

The resurgence has badly hit the country's healthcare system and hospitals are running out of beds and medical oxygen.

The increasing deaths have also overcrowded morgues, crematoriums and burial grounds.