3rd Corona Wave maybe as Severe and Killing as 2nd - SBI Report

SBI has brought out a 5 page report, which has studied the prospects of 3rd Corona wave in developed countries. Following are some of the comclusions -

• 3rd Corona wave maybe as severe as the 2nd
• In developed countries it may last for about 98 days if they procure enough infrastructure to combat it
• Children may get affected and hence, vaccination should be arranged for the 12-18 group

"If the country is better prepared for the third wave, the decline in serious case rate (patients that require oxygen, intensive care unit beds, etc) will lead to fewer deaths. We find that if serious cases decline from 20 per cent to 5 per cent (due to better health infrastructure and rigorous vaccination) in the third wave, the number of deaths in the third wave could significantly reduce to 40,000, as compared to the current deaths of more than 0.17 million," the SBI Ecowrap report said.

Implications for India

The 2nd Corona wave showed that India was least prepared for it and didn't take care to vaccinate its huge population. Oxygen and other medical facilities were in short supply. This was despite the scientists warning about the onset of 2nd wave in advance. Hence, India has to take lessons from its experience of the 2nd Corona wave and procure enough vaccines for all its 1.3 Billion population. So far, according to an estimate, only 3.5% of the population has been vaccinated with both doses. There is shortage of vaccine and the Central government has asked the States to make their own arrangements, albeit the various government authorities are stating that there will be enough vaccine before the 3rd Corona wave.

Further, the vast population of the 12-18 age group of children has to be protected and there is a need to take steps on war footing to prepare for the 3rd Corona wave.

Implications for the IT MSMEs

IT MSMEs have suffered economic losses and have lost many members of their community. Some members and associations have extended help to fight the 2nd Corona wave. Now, they have to be especially careful to face the onslaught of the 3rd Corona wave. Especially, they have to take care of their children who are the next generation of the IT MSMEs.

With the prospect of the 3rd Corona wave coming, the possibility of more lockdown also has increased. IT MSMEs have to decide how to counter this.

It would be best for them to prepare to move their businesses online. They can join a large E-commerce platform, join the online E-stores such as Indiamart and the various E-stores hosted by the IT associations and also build a personal platform for their own products, solutions and services.

The deciding factor in moving online shall be driving traffic on their digital platforms. Their business can flourish if they are able to drive a large no of traffic on their digital platforms.

Read more from Dr Archana Verma here.