Omicron cases may peak in India on Jan 27, 2022 says IITH team

An Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) team, which launched a Covid tracker website, has predicted that Omicron variant cases may peak in India on January 27, 2022. IITH Professor M Vidyasagar, who is part of SUTRA team, said Omicron cases in the country may touch 1.5 lakh cases. The wave, however, will totally subside by March 22. Prof  Vidyasagar was addressing the media after launching the website on Friday.

According to the team that developed the SUTRA model (Susceptible, Undetected, Tested, and Removed Approach), the cases may touch 1.5 lakh in a pessimistic scenario if all the people who have taken the vaccine shots lose their immunity. 

The number of



positive Omicron cases would be around 1.30 lakh cases during its peak if 30 per cent of the people who had taken the vaccine retain immunity. The cases would be around 1.10 lakh to 1.20 lakh if 60 per cent of vaccinated people retain immunity. The Omicron peak may be delayed by one to three weeks in the latter two scenarios, he said.

Though the team could not predict the rate of hospitalization of cases, it believes there would be no need to close educational institutions because younger people are not so vulnerable to any variant of coronavirus. They further observed that there would be no need to stop air traffic from foreign countries, but stressed the importance of 100 per cent screening of foreign travellers.