Delhi, Punjab, TN, Gujarat, Karnataka, U’khand, Andhra, Maha report cases
Coronavirus, which spared children in the first wave, has started stalking them in the second wave with a string of States like Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh reporting spike in infection in this vulnerable group, including newborns. Those with co-morbidities like sepsis or heart diseases are failing to survive.
In Tamil Nadu, around 1,000 to 1,300 children are getting infected with the virus every day, while in Karnataka, 39,846 children aged 0-9 years and 1,05,044 aged 10-19 years have tested Covid-19 positive between March 18 and May 18 this year.
Similarly, in Maharashtra, 99,022 in 11-20 age group and 38,265 children up to age 10 have tested Covid positive in the last few months.
The situation is equally grim in Uttarakhand, where Covid cases among children in the 0-9 and 10-19 years’ age groups have jumped by 155 per cent and 170 per cent respectively in comparison to the fugure the past one year. However, from April 1 to May 19 alone, the hilly State has registered 3,313 cases — reflecting a surge of 155.46 per cent in 49 days over the past one year during the same period.
Delhi and Uttar Pradesh too are grappling with the rise in infections among children. Ditto in Gujarat where cases of kids inflicted with contagion are trickling in from various districts like Surat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara. There also have been reports of fatalities as well in the State. For instance, of the 20,162 Covid-19 cases registered in Surat city, 296 are of children between the age group of 0 and 10 years.
In the past two months, Punjab, which is yet to witness second peak of second wave as predicted by a government model, reported several cases of adolescents and younger population getting inffected, while in Telangana, 2.7 per cent of Covid victims have been children below 10 years.
The State authorities feel that this figure may go up to 10 per cent in the next wave, if the Covid preventive steps among kids were not implemented strictly.
The issue was, flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently in his interaction with district magistrates when he asked them to be vigilant on severity and infections in children in their areas.
Paediatricians said unlike mild infections or no symptoms, as was the case during the first Covid wave last year, many children including infants as young as eight months old are exhibiting symptoms even severe one like persistent fever and pneumonia. Some are too sick, they said.
"The reasons behind the surge can be lax behaviour, more transmissible strains or more awareness about testing. But a noticeable medical difference in the second wave is that infected children are more symptomatic now and there is mortality too," said Dr Nita Radhakrishnan, HOD, Department of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology, Super Specialty Paediatric Hospital and PG Teaching Institute( SSPHPGT), Noida.
Prof DK Gupta, Director of SSPHPGTI pointed out that their hospital has managed 190 children with Covid -19 so far that includes 131 during the first wave. "More than fifty children had co-morbidities while the majority were managed symptomatically. At least five kids died who had other illnesses like meningitis, sepsis, heart disease etc," he said talking about the children patients in his hospital.
Experts say that as the virus has mutated and the chances of further mutation cannot be ruled out, it can affect children in the coming days, especially if they share treatment wards with the adults. Dr KK Kalra, former medical superintendent at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Delhi felt that as adults will already be vaccinated or infected, viruses will move to the susceptible group i.e. children. Hence it is important to keep them safe, he added.
"Timely preparedness is the need of the hour. Dedicated facilities such as paediatric intensive care unit (ICU) and neo-natal ICU should be earmarked in government and private healthcare centres," said the doctors even as they expressed doubts, given the crumbling health system in the wake of Covid-19.
"We have eight children admitted to the hospital with severe symptoms of Covid-19 presently including an eight months old. The others are less than 12 years in age. They have high fever, pneumonia, dehydration and loss of taste, among others," Dr Suresh, medical director of Lok Nayak Hospital said, according to reports.
The country’s apex child rights body National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo too has asked the Centre and states to ramp up their preparations to protect children and neonatal in the wake of projected third wave hitting the country anytime soon