Bengaluru has reported a worrying number of Covid-19 cases in the past few days. Now, health officials in the Karnataka capital are rushing to protect children in the city against the deadly coronavirus disease, even as the upcoming reopening of schools makes for concern among parents.
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India had in April and May this year witnessed a devastating wave of Covid-19, with record deaths and cases. Citizens had struggled for healthcare facilities and medical oxygen at the time. While the infection numbers have comparatively gone down in the last months, experts have warned of an impending third wave of Covid-19, said to impact children worse. While the Union Health Ministry has refuted that the next wave of the pandemic would prove more serious to the ‘vulnerable and unvaccinated’ population comprising children, it has, at the same time, augmented paediatric services across the nation as a preventive measure.
Worrying Numbers, Schools Set to Reopen
A total of 543 children were found to be Covid-positive in the first 10 days of August, the Livemint quoted the municipal corporation as saying. Of the total of 543, 270 are girls and 273 are boys. However, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had said 502 children out of the total were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.
But civic authorities have stepped up efforts even as schools are set to reopen from August 23 for classes 9 to 12 in districts where the Covid test positivity rate is less than 2%.
15 Million Kids’ Health to be Tracked in Karnataka
The Karnataka government will test 15 million children to identify vulnerable groups and closely monitor them to help mitigate the impact of a possible third wave of Covid-19, according to the state’s health minister, the Hindustan Times reported. K Sudhakar, Karnataka’s minister for health, family welfare, and medical education, said that chief minister Basavaraj Bommai will launch the ‘Arogya Nandana’ programme soon.
As a result of this initiative, all of the state’s 1.5 million children will be subjected to tests, he said. There will be a list of children who have low immunity and other comorbidities, and they will be provided with nutritious food and supplements to boost their immunity. “For their safety, we’ll take every precaution,” he said.
Children With Health Problems Identified in Bengaluru Rural
Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Wednesday conducted a review meeting to check the Covid situation in Bengaluru Rural, the New Indian Express reported. He said the government has identified children with low immunity and will take action to improve their health.
A low positivity rate and a small number of Covid cases in comparison to other districts has kept the district’s positive rate low. Covid’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been advised to take control of a possible third wave. Positive cases should be sent to Covid Care Centers, and testing should not be lowered.
Many of the children in the district had lung problems, anaemia, kidney problems, and malnutrition, according to a recent investigation. Sudhakar promised to treat the identified children and conduct health checks.
Special CCCs for Children
The state government and Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have increased the number of healthcare facilities available to treat children amid third wave fears. To treat infected children and pregnant women in Bengaluru South, a special paediatric Covid Care Centre (CCC) has been established, the Times of India recently reported.
The three-storey facility, which is awaiting inauguration, is an initiative of BBMP, NGOs Wells Fargo and Mantra Foundation and Regional Institute of Cooperative Management. It is located at the Regional Institute of Cooperative Management Centre, Padmanabhanagar. The move comes after experts argued that CCCs should be reserved exclusively for children in the event of a spike in cases among infants and young children.
The CCC has a playstation, and the walls are decorated with cartoons. We’ll provide children with mythology books, and those who are interested in art and crafts can spend time drawing and creating artefacts. As a result of this, children will be able to relax and not obsess over their infection, BBMP sources told Times of India, adding that parents will be allowed to stay with their children.
BBMP Allays Fears
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) appealed to Bengaluru citizens to not panic and to not rush infected children to the hospital. With reports indicating increasing Covid-19 cases among children, BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta said no significant increase in coronavirus cases has been observed.
“The city was reporting a daily average of around 450-500 cases earlier, but it has now reduced to an average of 388 per day,” Gupta said. Children (0-18 years old) accounted for around 11% of all Covid cases in the city, according to the Palike report, which analysed data from the past four months on paediatric cases. In fact, the American Academy of Paediatrics found that children accounted for 14.3% of the total number of cases in the world. This month’s paediatric cases (as of August 13) total 511, or 11.5% of the overall cases, according to the BBMP’s analysis. “If we look at the 0-12 age group, the total cases have dropped from 2,643 in June this year to 778 in July and 309 as of August 13,” it said.
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