During the first wave of COVID-19 around March 2020in Delhi with the N440K variant the most affected people,I saw were living in the crowded localities and ghettos like Zamrudpur, near Greater Kailash-1 and Sangam Vihar, a very large South Delhi slum. Persons living in organized and posh colonies were in general infected only sparingly.

Being a health care worker, I used to go for my professional work to the hospital and also perform emergency lifesaving procedures on untested persons. The result was that I got an asymptomatic infection revealed by a mandatory testing before a proposed air travel to Srinagar. I quarantined myself as per the guidelines in a flat all by myself. My daughter from Pune and nephew from Bengaluru used to courier me food items and my routine medicines. This was because no one in the colony was prepared to even get the stuff to my door step. I became an untouchable with people closing their windows if I dared to come to my balcony to have a peep of the outside world.

The Delhi government sent an ambulance to my official address to fetch me to a hospital. I could however dodge them successfully by assuring the higher authorities that I am a responsible doctor in a quarantine which could be inspected. The neighbours even complained to the district magistrate and the local police that I am endangering their lives. A police constable came to write a report but when I asked him to come to my flat while maintaining a distance, he too ran away and I was left alone. Finally, the misery was over and I got released like a criminal from the jail.

The 2^nd and the deadlier wave appeared around March 2021 after vaccines had become available. The variant identified was B.1.617. During this wave a large number of residents of our colony got infected while those living in nearby slums were spared possibly because of acquiring immunity during the first wave. This time, I became a darling of the neighbourhood and was deluged with phone calls. They wanted me to help them getting beds in the hospital for treatment especially for getting oxygen. I tried and got as many as possible admitted to my hospital. Everything including oxygen and common drugs like blood thinners and steroids were in shortages. On one day in our hospital 7 patients expired because of lack of oxygen. The wave involved whole of the country. The mortality was significant and the scare enormous. Vaccine hesitancy was at its peak but the good thing is that people soon started realizing its importance and started coming forward for both the doses.

As we have been getting out of the 2^nd wave of COVID-19, here comes the highly transmissible 3^rd wave with Omicron and an unprecedented surge of infections globally. These variants spread infection faster than the existing delta variant with a much faster doubling time. Though its impact on the severity of illness is milder with lower hospitalization requirements, it is resulting in a very high morbidity in the community though with a much lower mortality. There have been many instances in which persons who had previous COVID infections and also both doses of the vaccine are getting infected. As an example, several key doctors in the health centres the author is involved with are down with COVID at present, some of them even after the precautionary 3^rddose of the vaccine.

It is speculated that total population of the country may get infected through this strain, achieving herd immunity. It may be a God sent vaccine. Could this be the end of COVID? Probably no, it is likely to become endemic like influenza became after 1918. However, this still is a moot question.

Till then it is imperative to emphasize the use of a proper mask, keeping a distance of at least 1 metre, avoid crowded places, regularly washing the hands and continue to get vaccination against COVID.

(The Author is Cardiologist, Founder Director, Gauri Kaul Foundation. Recipient of Dr B C Roy Award and Padma Shri)