The next wave is likely to be far smaller than the second wave that peaked at a record 400,000-plus daily cases on May 7 and declined sharply thereafter.
But the forecast still underscores the need for India to accelerate its vaccination campaign, deploy surveillance methods to catch emerging hotspots and stay vigilant through genome sequencing given the potential for new variants to emerge.
The delta strain now causing renewed outbreaks across the world was first identified in India last October. Experts are concerned about complacency setting in as people resume social and business activity in the face of waning infections.