'Covid-19 will peak by mid-May and then suddenly there will be a dip', predicts top doctor -

India, currently being hit badly by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, on Tuesday reported its worst daily death toll, with large parts of the country now under lockdown amid a fast-rising second wave of infections.

A doctor is seen at a quarantine center for COVID-19 coronavirus infected patients at a banquet hall that was converted into an isolation center to handle the rising cases of infection on April 15, 2021 in New Delhi, India.© Anindito Mukherjee/Getty Images A doctor is seen at a quarantine center for COVID-19 coronavirus infected patients at a banquet hall that was converted into an isolation center to handle the rising cases of infection on April 15, 2021 in New Delhi, India.

The Union health ministry said on Tuesday that 1,761 people died due to the infection in the last 24 hours, bringing India's toll to 180,530, still well below the 567,538 deaths reported in the United States, the hardest hit country.

Amid this unprecedented surge, many people want to know when will the second wave subside? Rommel Tickoo, Director (Internal Medicine) at Max Healthcare, told Hindustan Times that the peak will be over soon.

“We will get over it, I am pretty sure, by the next month or so. It will peak in mid-May or by the end of May and then suddenly there will be a dip,” Dr Tickoo said. 

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"The way it has gone up, the same way it will go down," he added. But till then, said Dr Tickoo, people will have to be careful and follow all Covid-19 protocols.

He also said that more and more younger people are getting infected with Covid-19 this time. "They are the ones who go for work, who take public transport, and have been part of celebrations and going on holidays. They are the ones who have a kind of attitude that nothing will happen to them," said the doctor.

He also highlighted the fact that the infection is getting registered early. "Earlier, it used to be in 6-7 days, but in this wave, my personal observation is that the lungs are getting affected in 4-5 days," said Dr Tickoo.

The Union health ministry said on Tuesday that 10 states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, account for 77.67 per cent of the new Covid-19 infections reported in a day. Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan are among the other states in the list of 10.

The daily Covid-19 positivity rate (7-day moving average) continues to show an upward trend and currently stands at 15.99 per cent, it said.