Panic In Bengaluru As Over 240 Children Test COVID Positive In 5 Days, Triggers 3rd Wave Alert
The panic is real as COVID cases among children in Karnataka's Bengaluru are climbing at an alarming rate.?Around 240 children?below the age of 10 years have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past six days in Bengaluru, putting the city on alert.
This is one of the highest number of cases among children reported in Karnataka so far.?Experts have warned that the third wave of Covid-19 has already started.
106 children are less than 10 years of age
Data released by Bengaluru's civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), show 106 children aged less than 10 years have tested positive for Covid-19 between August 5 and 10. Besides these, 136 children aged between 10 and 19 years also tested Covid positive in these six days.
Taking note of the high number of children testing positive for Covid-19, the health department has warned that the situation may worsen and the cases rise if preventive measures aren't taken.
"There is a great danger"
An officer from the health department 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 said.?
Restrictions in Karnataka
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.
Dr Bakul J Parekh and Dr Samir H Dalwai?wrote in an opinion piece?in?News18?that the government must consider vaccinating children as during March-April 2021, the number of children affected by Covid-19 significantly went up.?
