With the second wave of the pandemic ravaging the country and concerns being raised about a possible third wave, experts caution that the next wave could be less severe if people keep following coronavirus-appropriate behaviour and a large portion of the population is vaccinated. According to the Union Health Ministry’s Sunday morning data, India recorded 4,03,738 new cases and 4,092 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Experts said that in a few months when the immunity people have developed naturally or with the help of vaccination fades, the virus strikes again and the only thing that can stop the virus from bouncing back is how people are guarding themselves. “Early this year, as the new cases receded, people started interacting as if there was no virus. The immunity had already started declining. They organised mass gatherings, stopped wearing masks, giving the opportunity to the virus to strike again,” said Dr Anurag Agarwal, director, Institute of Genomics and Integral Biology.