Dolly Dholakia

As the whole country is trying to survive the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with fighting from black, yellow and white fungus another major issue haunts the government. The COVID-19 among children in India are gradually on the rise as the virus even though children are at a lower risk of contracting the virus. This is because of the high level of transmission from family members, neighbors and relatives. The central government and the state governments are progressively emphasizing the importance of being prepared to deal with pediatric Covid care. In a meeting with local government officials on May 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged them to collect statistics on how Covid-19 is impacting children. The state of Maharashtra has established a task group focused on child infection, and the Delhi government is considering doing the same. 

So far, there is no research or data to support common predictions that youngsters would be impacted harder in the pandemic's projected third wave. Children's infections have been minor, and even severe instances are curable, according to IndiaSpend on May 23. Before the matters get worse, there is a need for the country to start its vaccination drive for children, once the approvals are granted. Experts pointed out to IndiaSpend that all health infrastructure in India needs to be ramped up given the system’s chronic underfunding and neglect. They say the equipments such as ventilators need to be different from those used to treat adults. The equipment for children in hospitals has to be pediatric-friendly. The sizes are very different for children – an adult may come in an average size range, but treating a newborn infant weighing just 600 gm, or a child weighing up to 20 kg.

In either the first or second wave, the health infrastructure has not been overwhelmed due to COVID-19 among children. However, the country must continue to prepare for any future circumstances in which this may occur.