1. A government-appointed panel including professors from IITs and scientists revealed that India is now past its coronavirus peak. From a peak of 97,000-plus cases in September, India is now staggering around 60,000-plus cases a day.
2. Even though travel restrictions have eased, other activities have resumed and the rate of testing has remained constant, the number of cases have fallen. However, the reasons for this trend are not known yet.
3. The long-awaited question of community transmission was also answered by health minister Harsh Vardhan. He admitted that “in different pockets across various states, community transmission is expected to occur.”
4. He clarified that community transmission is not a country-wide phenomenon and is dependent on the states.
5. Despite the decline in cases, Niti Aayog member V K Paul warned that the second wave of Covid-19 infections could be a possibility in winters, looking at the trends in Europe where winters have set in.
6. Therefore, precautionary measures are still advised to be maintained. Paul also said that 90% of the people still remain susceptible to novel Coronavirus.
7. The government-appointed committee also said that the pandemic can be brought under control with minimum active symptomatic infections by next year February-end if all safety protocols are sincerely followed.