At least 543 children in the age-group of 0-18 have tested positive for Covid-19 in Bengaluru between August 1 and 11, leading to massive panic among parents and state authorities. The alarming number has brought back focus on the earlier prediction that the third wave could affect children and that the infection is spreading among them at a faster rate.
As per the latest BBMP bulletin, between August 1 and 11, about 88 children in the 0-9 year age group, and 305 children in the 10-19 year age group tested positive for Covid-19. Among the 499 new cases, 263 were reported in past five days and out of these, 88 are aged below 9 years. About 175 cases have been found in children aged between 10 and 19.
Also Read: Third Wave of Covid-19 and Children: What You Need to Know About India’s Strategy and Vaccines for Kids
The development comes days after the Karnataka government announced that it may reopen schools for students studying in Classes 9-12 by August end.
On Wednesday, an officer from the health department had said the number will “triple” within a few days and “there is a great danger”.
“All we can do is protect our children from this virus by keeping them inside the home. Children will not have much immunity compared to elder ones. It is highly recommended to parents that they keep children inside home and follow all the Covid-19 norms,” the official had told News18.
The Karnataka government has already ordered night and weekend curfews in all the districts, and entries to Kerala-Karnataka, Maharashtra-Karnataka borders have been restricted. Only those who can show their RTPCR test of less than 72 hours are allowed to enter the state.
Karnataka has been recording around 1,500 daily new cases in the last one month, and the newly inducted chief minister Basavaraja Bommai has promised to increase the vaccine doses from around 65 lakh to 1 crore per month.
According to sources, the government is likely to impose a partial lockdown from August 16.
During the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which battered the country with people dying due to lack of oxygen and in search for hospital beds, experts had warned that the possible third wave will affect the kids more. The assumption was based on the common sense that the virus attacks people who are not immune.
Also Read: Children At Risk in Third Covid Wave, Karnataka Launches Special Paediatric Camps, Health Scheme
The Union Health Ministry officials have, however, often said that there is no evidence to suggest that children will be affected more in the next wave of the infection. Addressing concerns around impact of third coronavirus wave on children, Luv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, had said in June: “It may not be true that children will be disproportionately affected in the third wave as the serosurvey shows seropositivity was almost equal in all age groups. But the government is not leaving any stone unturned in terms of preparations.”
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