Dr Samiran Panda, the head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday said that the states which did not face an intense second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic are now with the increasing trend of Covid-19 cases, showing early signs of the third wave. In an interview with ANI, Panda said that it is important to not talk of India as a whole and to instead take a state-specific view when talking about Covid-19 because all the states are not homogenous.

"Several states began imposing Covid-19 restrictions and increased vaccinations, learning from Delhi and Maharashtra. Due to this, the second wave in several states was not as intense, leaving scope for a third wave. Therefore, the increasing number of Covid-19 infections in some states presently is indicating a third wave," he said.