In an interview designed to cut through the clutter and clear the air of confusion and perplexity created by the deluge of daily information about Covishield in India, Professor Ashish Jha, an internationally acclaimed professor of public health, has said he is “not particularly concerned about Delta Plus”, as judging by what we definitely know at the moment, its likely to be “just another variant of Delta, not worse not better”.

Jha has also said that the 12-16 week gap between two doses of Covishield is the right strategy for India at a time of vaccine shortage. However, he is concerned that over the last week or so, the sharp decline in cases seems to be plateauing around the 45,000 mark rather than declining. He also said that he agrees with the principal scientific advisor, Professor K. Vijay Raghavan, that a third wave is inevitable – but he importantly added that if the right steps are taken, a third wave can be avoided.

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