4th wave of Covid likely to hit India soon ? Check all symptoms seen so far

NEW DELHI, Apr 8
The third wave of the virus had ebbed in the country in March and while the chances of avoiding another surge seem unavoidable, the only thing we can do to protect ourselves is to stay vigilant, remain prepared and understand the symptoms
After the new XE variant of coronavirus, which is said to be more transmissible than Omicron, was detected in Maharashtra earlier this week, debates around a possible fourth wave have picked up the pace again.
The third wave of the virus had ebbed in the country in March and while the chances of avoiding another surge seem unavoidable, the only thing we can do to protect ourselves is to stay vigilant, remain prepared and understand the symptoms.
Here are the symptoms that were predominantly experienced by people during the first wave:
Common symptoms like cold, fever, headache, weakness, lethargy and lack of appetite were seen in the infected people during the first wave of infections.
Symptoms that had sort of become a marker to understand that one has contracted Covid before even taking the test were loss of taste and smell.
Symptoms seen during second wave:
The second wave, led by the Delta variant, saw people experiencing body ache, back pain, headache, fever, cough, loss of smell and taste, tingling sensation in fingers and toes, breathlessness, chest pain, fatigue and weakness.
Unlike the first wave, more young people were affected this time.
Symptoms seen during third wave:
The third wave was driven by the Omicron variant, which was first reported in South Africa in November 2020.
The common symptoms seen during this wave were sore throat, headache, muscle pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, fever, cough, and extreme weakness.
The number of hospitalisations remained low in India during this surge.
‘Covid not out yet’
As several State Governments start relaxing all Covid-19 restrictions, with some even removing fines for not wearing face masks, many doctors have said that the move should have been done in a "phased manner".
They also cautioned that vulnerable people should continue to follow all Covid-appropriate behaviours.
Doctors at leading hospitals in Delhi concurred that while the number of cases has significantly declined, "Covid is not out of the world yet".
Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, a senior consultant at Apollo hospital said: "While it has been observed that many people have already stopped wearing masks, amid a fall in Covid cases, I would say it should have been done in a gradual manner."
"Mask mandates should have remained in crowded public places like malls, markets, theatres etc. People are already fatigued, and not having a fine for not wearing a mask would mean many will not wear it, which is not a good thing as Covid is still not out of this world," he said.
Dr Richa Sareen, consultant of pulmonology at Fortis hospital, echoed Chatterjee's views, saying the vulnerable sections like those having co-morbidities or other ailments that might affect the lungs etc, and those who have been infected in the past and survived with difficulty must continue to wear masks and follow all Covid-appropriate behaviours.
The Centre had earlier advised the States and Union Territories to consider discontinuing the Covid containment measures in view of a sharp decline in the number of fresh cases of the infection in the country.