Principal Scientific Advisor to Centre K Vijay Raghavan on Wednesday said that the "third phase" of the COVID-19 is inevitable.
"A phase three is inevitable, given the higher levels of circulating virus but it is not clear on what time scale this phase three will occur. We should prepare for new waves," the Principal Scientific Advisor said.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court today put on hold the contempt notice issued by the Delhi High Court on May 4 against the Union government's officers over non-compliance of order for 700 metric tonnes oxygen to the national capital.
The top asked the Center to apprise it by tomorrow 10:30am, when the court assembles again, as to how it will make available 700 metric tonnes oxygen in Delhi.
Meanwhile, 3,780 people died of Covid in India the last 24 hours, the highest in a day so far, pushing the total fatalities to 2,26,188. India's Covid caseload hit 2.06 crore with over 3.82 lakh new cases as the crisis continues to crush the healthcare system.
India is second only to the United States in the total number of cases reported since the beginning of the pandemic.
In stern remarks, the Allahabad High Court Tuesday observed that the death of COVID-19 patients just for non-supply of oxygen to hospitals is a criminal act, "not less than a genocide" by authorities entrusted the task to ensure the oxygen supply chain is maintained.
The remarks were made on some news items doing the rounds on social media regarding the death of COVID-19 patients due to lack of oxygen in Lucknow and Meerut districts. The court also ordered a probe into the incidents.
