The Government on Friday said that India is yet to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 — not even through infection — and the next 125 days would be crucial as the possibility of new outbreaks cannot be ruled out.

The Union Health Ministry also cautioned against the declining use of masks among people and said that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, though limited to a few pockets, is not yet over.

Addressing a Health Ministry briefing, Niti Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul said there was a need to stop the contagion from transmitting now and this is possible by adopting Covid-appropriate behaviour.

“We have not reached herd immunity against Covid-19 as yet. We can see new outbreaks of the viral infection but we need to stop it now. This is possible if we follow Covid-appropriate behaviour to stay in the safe zone,” Dr Paul said, adding that the next 125 days are “very critical” for India in the fight against Covid-19.

Herd immunity is a situation when enough people have gained immunity, either from vaccination or a past infection, to stop the uncontrolled spread of the contagion. Dr Paul cautioned that the Covid-19 situation in several countries was worsening and the world was “heading towards a third wave.”

“Leaving the North and South American regions of the World Health Organisation (WHO), all other WHO regions are moving from good to bad and bad to worse. The world is moving towards a third wave and this is a fact. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, has asked us to take this as a red flag... the PM has given us the target to stall the third wave and it is possible,” Dr Paul said.

Meanwhile Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary (Health), cautioned against the declining usage of masks among people as the second wave of the pandemic is not yet over. He added that there is a projected dip of 74 per cent in mask usage in the country post the lockdown.

“We should incorporate the use of facemasks in our lives as a new normal”, Agarwal said. He further said that in order to contain the spread of Covid-19, it is important to ensure that this projected decline is halted and the previous status is restored.

Cautioning people against letting their guard against Covid-19 down, Agarwal said Google’s mobility index data shows that there has been an increase in public mobility between May and July. “This increasing movement of people may impact the spread of the viral infection in these areas. It is important that as we move towards increased mobility, we should take care to follow habits like wearing masks, social distancing and maintaining hand hygiene,” he said.

Agarwal said Covid-19 cases have started increasing one again in several countries. “Our neighbours like Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh, too, are seeing a spurt in cases. The third waves in Malaysia and Bangladesh are higher than the second wave peaks,” he said.