At what stage can it be said that the second wave has been contained? Both alpha (B.1.1.7) and delta (B.1.617.2) variants were the main drivers of the second wave in India. Even with the second wave, if we had acted in mid-March, thousands of lives could have been saved. First, the second wave should have been contained, which means that the reproduction number is below 1 for two weeks. The lower reported numbers from rural areas reflect the poorer testing and sparse population density in rural areas.

Source: The Hindu June 05, 2021 16:24 UTC