COVID-19 surge not harbinger of new wave but expected fluctuation during endemic prevalence: Experts

The current rise in COVID-19 cases is not a harbinger of a “new wave” but an “expected fluctuation” during endemic prevalence, experts have said, emphasising that lack of mask-wearing and low intake of booster shots may be reasons behind the surge.

They also said the recent surge is due to increased travel, social gathering and economic activities resulting in a greater possibility of the transmission of the virus. Seventeen districts in India, including seven from Kerala and five from Mizoram, are reporting a weekly COVID-19 positivity rate of more than 10 percent. In 24 districts, including seven from Kerala and four each from Maharashtra and Mizoram, the weekly positivity is between 5  to 10 per cent, an official source said. Noted virologist T Jacob John said the present increase in cases is not like a surge but a gradual increase that is not steady or uniformly distributed.

A few states lead, others are not involved. In those states, the phenomenon is mainly a big city picture, not widely spreading. This pattern is not a harbinger of a new wave but expected fluctuations during endemic prevalence,” he said.  “A wave must have more numbers than the previous day consistently — that is not the case for us now, he told

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