India is witnessing the second wave of Covid-19 infections due to mutations of the original virus. It has become the second most affected country due to Coronavirus with cases exceeding 13.5 million. Therefore, it is very essential that the general public should act wisely in order to curb the spread of the infection.
The world is currently reeling under the wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and India is among the worst affected countries by the pandemic. India is currently experiencing the second wave or the second stage of COVID-19 disease in 2021.
With 13.5 million cases, India is now the second worst-hit country due to Covid-19 in the world after the USA. It crossed Brazil that has 13.4 million total number of coronavirus infections. The daily number of cases has breached the 2-lakh mark and is a cause of growing concern among the masses.
The rise in the number of caseloads is attributed to people not following coronavirus precautions which includes wearing a mask, maintain social distancing, washing hands with soap and water, or with a sanitizer having at least 60% alcohol content.
Stage 2 of Coronavirus in India or the second wave is more infectious as the virus has mutated and is spreading much faster as compared to the first wave.
Experts believe that the current surge is due to the new strains of coronavirus that includes the Kent (UK), Brazilian, and South African variant along with a double mutant strain that is recently identified in India which is designated as B.1.617 having mutations in E484Q and L452R.
It was found that around 61% of the samples from Maharashtra contained the double mutated virus strain.
It is very essential that to reduce infections, people should follow the coronavirus precautions as suggested by the WHO and the Government of India. Here’s a look at a list of the COVID-19 Symptoms.
People with Covid-19 exhibit a wide range of symptoms, which can range from mild to severe illness. Symptoms may appear in affected individuals 2- 14 days after exposure, although recent strains have faster infectivity.
The most common Covid-19 symptoms are as follows:
There are various coronavirus vaccines available in the market now to combat coronavirus infections. The most prominent vaccinations that are approved for vaccinating the population in India are Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech, a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company, Covishield produced locally by Serum Institute of India, with a license from Oxford-AstraZeneca.
In addition to these vaccines, a third vaccine has been approved for use in India, it is known as Sputnik V, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute. This vaccine was approved after the huge spike in coronavirus cases in India in recent times.
To combat the growing number of cases, many cities and states in India have announced night curfew or lockdown. But, the lack of awareness among the general population regarding the precautions necessary for preventing Coronavirus infection is contributing to the active caseload of the country.
It can be seen that people are openly flouting the rules by not wearing a mask, in public gatherings social distancing has gone for a toss, and no hand hygiene is being maintained.
The need of the hour is to adhere to all the protocols as suggested by the health experts and the government. It will be helpful in the fight against the second wave of coronavirus infections in India.
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