Two days after waning Indians of a third wave of Covid-19, the Centre’s principal scientific advisor Dr. K Vijay Raghavan said that the country can fully dodge the wave if necessary measures are taken.

"If we take strong measures, the third wave may not happen in all the places or indeed anywhere at all. It depends much on how effectively the guidance is implemented at the local level, in the states, in districts and in the cities everywhere," Raghavan was quoted by ndtv.com as saying at a press briefing.

This was a step-down from the expert’s comments on Wednesday, where he asked India to brace for an ‘inevitable’ third wave of Covid-19.

"Phase three is inevitable given the higher levels of circulating virus, but it is not clear on what time-scale this phase three will occur. We should be prepared for new waves," he had said on the day.

Other officials of the health ministry said 12 states have over one lakh active Covid-19 cases each at present, while the count is between 50,000 and one lakh in seven, as the country battles a second wave of the viral disease.

The positivity rate is currently above 15 per cent in 24 states in the country and in the range of 5-15 per cent in nine, the ministry said.

It said Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Chhattisgarh are among states and union territories showing continued plateauing or decrease in daily new Covid-19 cases.

However, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Odisha are among those showing an upward trend in daily new cases of the infection, the ministry added.

The Health Ministry also asked the states to prioritise beneficiaries awaiting their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and ensure timely completion of the recommended vaccination schedule.