India's Covid-19 peak by January end, decline to be equally sharp: IIT professor

“As per preliminary data, cases (nationally) will peak by the end of this month and are likely to cross second wave numbers. But the decline of cases will be equally sharp. By March, it (peak) will be almost over,” Mahindra Agarwal, professor at IIT Kanpur, told news agency ANI.

A professor of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, said on Monday that coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in India will peak by the end of January and are likely to cross the number of cases seen during the second wave last year. However, by March, the peak will be almost over.

Passengers wearing face masks as a precaution against Covid-19 arrive at Dadar railway station in Mumbai. (PTI file photo)

“As per preliminary data, cases (nationally) will peak by the end of this month and are likely to cross second wave numbers. But the decline of cases will be equally sharp. By March, it (peak) will be almost over,” Manindra Agarwal, professor at IIT Kanpur, told news agency ANI.

Previously, researchers at the institution conducted a study that showed that the third wave of the pandemic in India might peak by February 3. It studied the trend of the Omicron-led surge in Covid-19 cases in other countries and forecast that India too will witness similar trajectory.

India's Omicron count crossed the 4,000-mark on Monday with 1,552 patients recovering from the fast-spreading variant till now. For the past four days, the daily Covid-19 tally has been well over 100,000-mark with nearly 180,000 infections reported in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, professor Agarwal also told ANI on Monday that cases in Delhi, Mumbai are likely to peak around mid-January, adding that the ongoing wave in these cities will be over by the end of this month.

Both Delhi and Mumbai are the worst-hit regions from the pandemic, registering over 20,000 cases daily.

In Mumbai, the daily cases might be higher than what is being officially reported, according to experts. Hindustan Times reported on Sunday that the reasons behind this are asymptomatic not undergoing a Covid-19 test and increased reliance on home testing kits that allow no official supervision on infected cases.

Officials in Delhi are currently holding a review meeting to decide whether the national capital will require more curbs to ward off the spread of Covid-19.

Kolkata is the worst hit region across West Bengal and has been adding the most number of cases to the state's tally. The capital city clocked a cumulative weekly positivity rate of over 55% ending January 7.

(With ANI inputs)