Lucknow, Mar 1 (IANS): Even though Covid cases in Uttar Pradesh are on the decline, experts feel that it is still too early to predict the end of the third wave. They feel that safety protocols must be followed.

Experts say that the possibility of a new and more severe variant cannot be ruled out in the future and people should continue to take precautions.

The first wave had affected around 81,000 people in Lucknow alone between March 2020 and January 2021 and claimed the lives of 1,157 patients.

The second wave triggered by the Delta and Delta Plus variants that lasted around 90 days infected 1.5 lakh people and 1,465 succumbed to the virus.

The third wave caused by the Omicron variant turned out to be less dangerous. It started on December 22, 2021 and has so far infected 57,439 people and taken the lives of 38 patients.

Unlike the highly severe Delta variant that attacked the lungs, the Omicron variant largely affected the upper respiratory area. As a result, most of the patients either had mild symptoms or remained asymptomatic.

Former head of the microbiology department at Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, Prof Anil Kumar Gulati said, "The virus will keep mutating as long as it circulates. The possibility of the emergence of a lethal Covid-19 variant is highly unlikely, but we should wait till May before relaxing."

Prof Vikram Singh, superintendent of Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, said, "Since almost everyone has taken vaccine doses, the new variant, if it emerges, will not be as virulent (deadly) as Delta. But we cannot be complacent, as we were after the first wave."

Epidemiologist Dr Amit Singh, secretary of Provincial Medical Services Association, said, "Covid-19 will become milder with time but these three months are crucial."

He said that complacency after the first was one of the main factors responsible for the devastating second wave. In comparison, the precautions taken and rapid vaccinations done after the second wave resulted in a much less severe third wave.