50 per cent of Indian population could be Covid-19 infected by December: NIMHANS head

Team Udayavani, May 29, 2020, 9:02 AM IST

After lockdown 4.0, there will be rise in Covid-19 cases, said Dr V Ravi, Head of Neurovirology, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) and nodal officer in the Karnataka Health Task Force for Covid-19.

“The numbers will go up from June onwards after Lockdown 4.0 ends on May 31, and there will be community spread. By December-end, half of India’s population is likely to be infected with the virus, but the good news is that 90 per cent of them will not even know that they have got the infection”, he added

Also, He said that it is important for the states to increase and upgrade medical facilities   so that the state can handle the increase in cases, especially those which will require intensive medical care and treatment.

Dr Ravi said, “ We have given approval for a Covid-19 testing laboratory at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bengaluru, and with that we now have 60 laboratories, which will map up for the 30 districts in the state”

Speaking about the mortality rate, he said “We will have to wait for the vaccine till March next year. People will learn to live with Covid-19, with all necessary precautions and preventive measures. The novel coronavirus is not as deadly as Ebola, MERS and SARS”