COVID Think Tank | Why India needs to be prepared for a COVID-19 third wave

Irrespective of whether it comes or not, we need to prepare for a third wave of COVID, said renowned Critical Care Specialist Dr Brijendra Kumar Rao. Speaking at The New Indian Express’ virtual event COVID Think Tank, he pinpointed caution and preparation as the most important steps the country can take now. The critical care specialist was weighing in on the subject Critical Care: A New Architecture, and he stressed on the importance of learning from the past.

“The problem is that the second wave was nothing like the first wave, so we weren’t able to deal with it the same way,” he says, “To go from a small number to over four lakh active cases is not something we could have prepared for in the same way. No country has dealt with a challenge that great. Now, we have these speculations of the third wave. The only thing we know is that we should be prepared for it whether it comes or not.”

It’s not a question of where we went wrong, he says. “It is about being prepared for what is to come even if the challenges are different. A few months ago, we didn’t know what we were facing. But now, we have the experience of the first wave and second wave with us. If it is anything like the previous one, we should be able to sail through easily.”

So, what did we learn from the second and more severe wave of COVID-19? The doctor believes that the medical infrastructure and the powers were able to take away an important lesson on building capacity. Rao calls for the timely training of medical students and allied health professionals.

WATCH HERE:

Join us in a LIVE conversation with Dr Brijendra Kumar Rao as he talks about 'Critical Care: A New Architecture' in #COVIDThinkTank. @SavlonIndia @gsvasu_TNIE @Eventxpress @PrabhuChawla https://t.co/mWMh4YOouX

— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 14, 2021