The committee sought better medical preparedness for children who might be at greater risk, when third wave hits the country.
According to an exclusive report by Times of India, the committee noted that “paediatric facilities – doctors, staff, equipment like ventilators, ambulances, etc. are nowhere close to what may be required in case a large number of children become infected”. The report has been submitted to the PMO.
The experts have also stressed for vaccination among children with co-morbidities.
“There is no sufficient data to back widespread fears that children will be hit more severely in the
anticipated third wave of the pandemic. However, as the virus continues to evolve, this is going to
be a major challenge for children as there is no approved vaccine for children in India yet. Children
with COVID-19 infection have largely been seen to be asymptomatic or develop mild symptoms”, the report notes.
“The present pandemic needs a special intervention in order to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of women and children. Hence, the recommendations while taking into account these issues, attempt to adopt a comprehensive and sensitive approach which can create availability, accessibility and affordability of all resources to these groups. This also fits well with the government’s approach, the ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of society’ to navigate this current crisis”, it further said.
Third wave: The ticking timeline
Experts warned of an imminent third COVID-19 wave while the nation was still in the middle of a raging second wave. In the first week of May 2021, K Vijay Raghvan, Principal Scientific Advisor to PM, called the third wave of COVID inevitable and that it could cross age groups and may put children at similar risk as adults.
Some experts warned that a third wave could hit within 12-16 weeks, and others are worried about newer mutations that can weaken existing vaccines.
