All between the age group of 0 and 10 years

• 2,999 kids test positive from April to June 12 (second wave)
• 1,521 infected from March 2020 to March 2021 (first wave) 

By M.T. Yogesh Kumar

Mysore/Mysuru: The recent surge in COVID-19 cases and with children being equally affected, parents are worried about a possible third wave and how it will impact their kids. 

Similar to older adults, children also experience various symptoms and some of them are highly common and prevalent in all age groups including fever, runny nose, fatigue, sore throat and cough.

From March 2020 till June 12, 2021, 4,520 children from the age group of 0 to 10 years have been hit by COVID pandemic in Mysuru and ever since the second wave began from April, there has been a marked increase in the number of young ones getting infected. 2,999 kids from the age group of 0 to 10 years have been infected from April 2021 to June 12 (second wave) and 1,521 children (0 and 10) were infected in the first wave. 

This alarming trend sends out warning signals that children need to be protected from the risk of third wave. As per the data available with Star of Mysore, from March 2020 to February 2021, 628 children between the age group of 0 to 5 years were infected along with 852 children in the age group of 6 to 10. 3,841 children in the age group of 11 to 20 were affected during the same period. 

In March 2021, 10 children in the age group of 0 to 5 years were infected in Mysuru and 31 were in the age group of 6 to 10. 313 children between the age group of 11 and 20 were also affected. In April this year, when the second wave started, 251 children in the age group of 0 to 5 years, 320 in the age group of 6 to 10 and 2,036 children in the age group of 11 to 20 were affected. 

In May this year, 707 children between the age group of 0 and 5, 1,224 in the age group of 6 to 10 and 5,714 in the age group of 11 to 20 tested positive for the virus. As on June 12 this year, 170 children were affected by the virus between the age group if 0 and 5, 327 tested positive in the age group of 6 to 10 and 1,406 between the age group of 11 and 20 tested positive. (See table.)

Mild infections

Children with a mild infection were treated in home isolation, recommending symptomatic treatment with paracetamol. However, if the symptoms continued to progress, medical help was sought. Counselling and one-on-one sessions with children treating children is important as children may lack the ability to express and also they may not realise the magnitude of the pandemic per se.

In all, 139 children visited the State-run Cheluvamba Hospital in May this year with symptoms and of them, 51 who had tested positive, were admitted. 88 children were closely monitored in home isolation as they had mild symptoms. “They were not serious and the children recuperated well,” Dr. Sudha Rudrappa, Medical Superintendent of Cheluvamba Hospital told SOM.

Six deaths were reported and one among them was a premature baby and an 11-year-old mentally challenged child. At the V.V. Puram Maternity Hospital, there were 170 deliveries and among them, 10 were high-risk deliveries and all the 10 babies had tested positive. But they have recovered well, thanks to the timely care provided by the Hospital. At the Cheluvamba Hospital, there are 100 oxygenated beds, 18 wards, two ventilators, six ICU beds and three warmers to meet emergencies.

Youth and elderly

Data also shows that the maximum people who have been infected since the first wave are between the age group of 31 to 40 years and their number stands at 35,872. They are closely followed by people in the age group of 21 to 30 years and their number stands at 34,944 as on June 12, this year. 4,978 persons in the age group of 71 to 80 years were infected since the first wave till June 12 this year and 1,425 persons above 81 years tested positive during the same period.