A sharp surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks has made India’s key cities brace for the pandemic’s third wave. Many places have imposed weekend curfews and other restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, driven mainly by the Omicron variant. Nationwide, rising infections are a sombre reminder of the devastating second wave. Experts say the new wave may not be as devastating as the previous one, but advise caution against increasing caseloads.

How well are hospitals prepared to handle the additional pressure? Can vaccine manufacturers develop solutions for the virus’s mutations? And how can state authorities ensure social distancing and other measure to stem the spread?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss how India is dealing with the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Dr Murad Banaji, mathematician, University of Middlesex, London; Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund; Shobana Kamineni, executive vice chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group; Dr Shahid Jameel, virologist, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, UK