Over 9,000 Children In A Maharashtra City Have Tested Positive For COVID-19 In May

Almost 10,000 children and teenagers tested positive for Covid-19 in Maharashtra¡¯s Ahmednagar district in May, triggering alarm bells for the state government. Out of the total infected, over 96 to 97% remained asymptomatic, reported News 18.

What has the state govt said?

The Uddhav Thackeray government has taken note of the alarming spike in cases and asked the district administration to prepare a strategy to deal with the situation. However, Sachin Solat, a member of Ahmednagar¡¯s Covid task force, said there was nothing alarming in the high number of children and teenagers testing positive.

PTI

¡°The number was around 11.5% of the total Covid cases registered in the month in the district, which is acceptable. There is nothing unusual about it,¡± he was quoted as saying by Times of India. Solat said these children and teens got infected from elders in their family. ¡°We must remember that there are hundreds of joint families staying together in one home, where the infection can spread easily,¡± he said.

How is the govt tackling the surge?

The state government has directed the Ahmednagar administration to set up special wards for children in private hospitals and ensure the supply of essential medicines. Anticipating a third wave of the pandemic, which is likely to affect children in more numbers, the government last week instructed the public health department to set up a pediatric task force of experts to make necessary preparations.

The task force, comprising 13 experts, is led by noted pediatrician Dr Suhas Prabhu. Tatyarao Lahane, the director of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, has been appointed as its member secretary.

Maharashtra | 9,928 minors in Ahmednagar tested Covid positive in May

"Children positivity rate increased due to rise in overall positivity rate. In April, 7,760 children were tested positive. No serious incidents were reported," said Civil surgeon Sunil Pokharna (31.5) pic.twitter.com/OqGMCHm6GA

¡ª ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2021

Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the government is fully geared up to tackle the third wave and asked health authorities to be alert and appealed to people to consult doctors immediately if children show any symptoms. "I don¡¯t know when and what date the third wave will come. So we should not let our guard down,¡± he had said.

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What is the overall situation like in the state?

Maharashtra on Monday reported 15,077 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest since March 15, taking the caseload to 57,46,892, while 184 more deaths pushed the toll to 95,344, the state health department said. On March 15, the state had reported 15,051 cases as it hurtled towards a devastating second COVID-19 wave. The daily count was also a sharp drop from 18,600 infections registered on Sunday. Recoveries far exceeded new infections.